Mumbai erupted in diplomatic warmth as Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney touched down on Friday for his first official visit to India. Describing the nation as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, Carney expressed keen interest in forging partnerships that unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses.
In a post on X shortly after arrival, Carney wrote, ‘India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Just landed in Mumbai. I’ll be meeting with business leaders here. We’ll build partnerships that open doors of opportunity for Canadian workers and businesses.’
Welcomed at the airport by Maharashtra’s Protocol and Marketing Minister Jaykumar Raval, Carney arrived with his wife, Diana Fox Carney. This four-day tour, spanning February 27 to March 2, marks a pivotal moment in India-Canada relations.
Carney’s Mumbai itinerary is packed with high-stakes engagements. He will interact with Indian and Canadian CEOs, industry experts, finance professionals, innovators, academics, and representatives from Canadian pension funds operating in India. These meetings aim to deepen economic ties amid India’s booming growth trajectory.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal echoed the enthusiasm on X: ‘Warm welcome to Canadian PM Mark Carney in Mumbai on his first official visit to India. This trip is a significant step towards strengthening India-Canada relations.’
After Mumbai, Carney heads to New Delhi on Sunday evening for delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House on March 2. The agenda includes reviewing progress in the India-Canada strategic partnership, building on prior summits in Kananaskis (June 2025) and Johannesburg (November 2025).
Key focus areas encompass trade and investment, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, education, research, innovation, and people-to-people ties. The leaders will also deliberate on regional and global developments before joining the India-Canada CEO Forum.
This visit comes at a crucial juncture as bilateral relations normalize. It offers a platform to reaffirm positive momentum and a forward-looking partnership vision. Ahead of the trip, Carney’s office highlighted India’s role as a global trade and tech hub, noting Canada-India merchandise and services trade hit $30.8 billion in 2024, making India Canada’s seventh-largest partner.
During their November Johannesburg G20 meeting, Modi and Carney set an ambitious target of $50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Modi later posted on X: ‘We’ve set a $50 billion bilateral trade target by 2030. Canadian pension funds are showing deep interest in Indian companies.’
As Carney’s visit unfolds, expectations run high for breakthroughs that could supercharge economic collaboration between these two dynamic democracies.