Canada and India are working to rebuild trade ties and explore new areas of cooperation after a two-year chill, with Ottawa keen to restart trade negotiations under “a new process”, Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said on Thursday
Canada’s agriculture minister Heath MacDonald said in an interview on Monday his weeklong trip to China is evidence of bilateral relations beginning to thaw, something desperately needed by Canada’s farmers and canola exporters.
The 2025 federal budget took a step forward in recognizing agriculture’s importance but failed to address pressing challenges like labour disruptions, interswitching and precision technology, say Canadian farm groups.
Senior Canadian and Chinese officials discussed bilateral trade disputes involving canola and electric vehicles on Friday, Ottawa said, but gave no indication of any immediate breakthrough.
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said he expected to meet senior Chinese leaders soon but sidestepped a question about dropping tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for relief from Beijing’s duties on canola.