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Report from Toronto

For most of the past 15 years, Canada and India have been in on-and-off discussions towards establishing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.

These talks did not yield much and were effectively called off following Ottawa’s bombshell statement accusing India of committing murder on Canadian soil in 2023.

But analysts believe that global conditions and priorities have changed over the last year, and a strong trade deal between Canada and India could be in the cards.

Amid the recent two-year diplomatic freeze between Canada and India, Delhi has reached deals with several countries, including the United Kingdom and the European Union.

They also agreed to a framework of agreement with the United States.

“Canada is in a situation where it is the only G7 country that does not have a preferential trade agreement with India,” Bina Najibulla, vice president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told the BBC.

At the same time, India has shifted its policy in recent months to open itself up to comprehensive agreements of this kind, which Najibulla says presents a “window of opportunity.”

“This is a new moment,” she added. “And there’s an appetite on both sides.”