वाणिज्य मंत्री Piyush Goyal ने 150‑सदस्यीय प्रतिनिधिमंडल को Canada के लिए FTA वार्ता और $50 bn व्यापार धक्का (May 25‑27, 2026) के लिए नेतृत्व किया

<p><strong>वाणिज्य और उद्योग मंत्री <span class="key-term" data-definition="Piyush Goyal — Indian minister handling commerce, industry and trade policy (GS2: Polity)">Piyush Goyal</span></strong> will head a business delegation of over <strong>150 members</strong> to <strong>Canada</strong> from <strong>May 25‑27, 2026</strong>. The mission aims to attract investment, deepen collaboration and accelerate negotiations for a <span class="key-term" data-definition="Free Trade Agreement — a pact between two or more countries to reduce or eliminate tariffs and trade barriers, enhancing economic integration (GS3: Economy)">Free Trade Agreement (FTA)</span>.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>High‑level meetings with Canadian Prime Minister <span class="key-term" data-definition="Mark Carney — Prime Minister of Canada (GS2: Polity)">Mark Carney</span> and his counterpart <span class="key-term" data-definition="Maninder Sidhu — Canadian minister handling trade and commerce (GS2: Polity)">Maninder Sidhu</span>.</li> <li>Engagement with the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Maple 8 — the eight largest public pension funds in Canada, managing about CAD 2.4 trillion, influential long‑term investors globally (GS3: Economy)">Maple 8</span> pension funds to secure long‑term capital for Indian projects.</li> <li>Discussions on expanding the presence of Canadian firms in India from the current <strong>600</strong> to <strong>1,000</strong> companies.</li> <li>Target to raise bilateral trade to <strong>$50 billion</strong> within five years, up from $8.66 billion in FY 2024‑25.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>Canada’s eight major <span class="key-term" data-definition="pension fund — a pool of money collected to provide retirement benefits, often investing in infrastructure, equities and other assets (GS3: Economy)">pension funds</span> manage roughly <strong>CAD 2.4 trillion</strong> in assets. They invest across sectors such as infrastructure, technology, real estate, energy and private equity.</p> <p>The two countries are negotiating a <span class="key-term" data-definition="Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement — a negotiated trade pact covering goods, services, investment and other areas, aimed at deepening economic ties (GS3: Economy)">Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)</span>. Two rounds of talks have been completed.</p> <p>Canada’s market size is about <strong>41.65 million</strong> people (2025) with a GDP of <strong>$2.34 trillion</strong> at <span class="key-term" data-definition="Purchasing Power Parity — an economic metric that compares different countries' currencies through a basket of goods, reflecting real purchasing power (GS3: Economy)">PPP</span> terms.</p> <p>Key Indian exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals. Imports from Canada consist of pulses, pearls, semi‑precious stones, coal, fertiliser, paper and crude petroleum.</p>