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India and Canada have agreed on a new roadmap to restore and strengthen their bilateral relations after nearly two years of diplomatic strain, following talks between their foreign ministers in New Delhi on October 13, 2025. 
 
Key Areas of Cooperation
The roadmap outlines concrete initiatives across several strategic domains:

• Trade and Investment: Ministerial-level discussions will be launched to boost bilateral trade, with the Canada-India CEO Forum set to resume in early 2026 to guide economic collaboration.​
• Energy and Critical Minerals: Cooperation will focus on clean energy, including green hydrogen, biofuels, carbon capture, and electric mobility. A Critical Minerals Annual Dialogue will begin in March 2026, and the Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue (CIMED) will be revived.​
• Science, Technology, and AI: The Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) will be restarted, and Canada will participate in India’s AI Impact Summit 2026. Both nations will explore collaboration in digital public infrastructure and cybersecurity research.​
• Agriculture and Food Security: Partnerships will enhance agricultural value chains, with knowledge sharing on technology and innovation to improve productivity and sustainability.​
• Higher Education: The Joint Working Group on Higher Education will be revitalized, with Canada exploring the establishment of university campuses in India to expand academic networks and student mobility.

Challenges in India-Canada relations

• Political Tensions: Diplomatic strains since 2023 due to the assassination of a Canadian Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, impacting mutual trust.
• Security Concerns: Issues involving extremism and terrorism allegations have created sensitivities between the two nations.
• Trade Barriers: Despite efforts, trade growth has been constrained by tariff and non-tariff barriers, limiting full economic potential.
• Diaspora Dynamics: The influence of the khalistan in Canada complicates bilateral relations due to differing perspectives on separatism.
• Strategic Divergences: Differences in geopolitical alignments and strategic priorities, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.

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