There can be a uranium deal worth about Rs 25 thousand crore between India and Canada.Image Credit source: ChatGPT
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney may visit India in the first week of March and sign agreements on Uranium, Energy, Minerals and Artificial Intelligence. India’s High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik gave this information in an interview. Carney is making every effort to diversify Canada’s alliances beyond its top trading partner the United States.
Last week in Davos, he won applause from around the world by saying the old rules-based order was dead and calling on moderate powers like Canada to build a coalition to build a more just and resilient world. His speech came after an agreement with China to reduce tariffs on electric vehicles and canola and open up export markets worth up to 7 billion Canadian dollars ($5.11 billion). Carney is trying to double exports out of America in the next decade.
Carney is trying to reset ties with India after his previous Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023. India has denied these allegations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Group of 7 summit last year at Carney’s invitation and several of Carney’s ministers have visited India.
Carney may visit India in March
In an interview given over the weekend, High Commissioner Patnaik said regarding Carney’s visit that I think his visit will be possible in the first week of March. Carney’s office declined to comment. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that Carney would visit Australia to address Parliament in March. Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is on a visit to India this week and said that the timing of Carney’s visit has not been decided yet. Hodgson said in an interview on Sunday that the Prime Minister plans to visit sometime this year, it will depend on our progress.
Trade talk stalled from November 2025
Patnaik said formal talks for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India should also begin in March. Both countries had agreed to restart stalled trade talks in November. Patnaik said that during his visit, Carney will sign small agreements with the Indian government related to nuclear energy, oil and gas, environment, artificial intelligence and quantum computing as well as education and culture.
Possibility of uranium deal
He further said that it is likely to include a 10-year uranium supply agreement worth 2.8 billion Canadian dollars. Hodgson did not confirm the agreement, but said Canada is ready to sell uranium under the Canada-India nuclear cooperation agreement, provided India agrees to comply with International Energy Agency’s safeguards. Hodgson said that we know that India is a major nuclear power country and it has big plans to increase civil use of nuclear energy. Therefore, I hope that we will discuss this topic with our counterpart.
Patnaik said that between the visits of Hodgson and Carney, the two countries will announce agreements related to energy and mining, and he said that agreements on critical minerals and crude oil and LNG transactions will be the most prominent. Hodgson said that we need to focus on economies that are large and developing. India falls in this category. India is a growing user of critical minerals, which Canada can supply.
Why is immediate dialogue necessary?
Patnaik said that after two years of stalled talks, both the countries are afresh ready to take immediate action. At the same time, they are moving rapidly to ensure that countries affected by US tariffs decide their own path. Referring to Carney’s speech in Davos, he said that we are now living in a world where the natural law-based system, which had provided stability to the world, is not working.
He further said that we should work together for an agreement that protects us from the uncertainties of the international system. US President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday that if Canada signs an agreement with China, 100 percent tariffs will be imposed on it. Carney responded that Canada respects its commitments under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and will not enter into free trade agreements with non-market economies.
Deal can be done in a year
Patnaik said that India is also looking for new agreements. India and the European Union are expected to announce the conclusion of long-running talks for a free trade agreement on Tuesday. Patnaik further said that the CEPA agreement can be reached within a year of the start of formal talks with Canada. He also told that Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are also likely to visit Canada soon.
Patnaik said that four people are facing trial in Canada for the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He said that if evidence shows that Indians were involved, India will take action. He said India’s National Security Advisor will visit Ottawa next month as part of regular meetings between the two countries to exchange intelligence and discuss security measures.