Overview
- India and Canada finished five days of CEPA negotiations in New Delhi on Friday, with both sides calling the round constructive and productive.
- Officials scheduled the third round for July in Ottawa and agreed to keep working between sessions to maintain momentum.
- Negotiators covered chapters on goods and services, intellectual property, rules of origin, and the SPS and TBT areas that set food-safety and product-standards rules.
- Brij Mohan Mishra of India and Bruce Christie of Canada lead the process under Terms of Reference signed March 2 that set the format and pace of talks.
- Merchandise trade totaled $8.66 billion in FY2024-25, with Hindustan Times reporting a fall to $7.92 billion in FY26, and separate reports say Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal may visit Canada on May 25 as both sides seek to finish the pact this year.