Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Begins First Official Visit To India With Mumbai Arrival

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Mumbai on Friday, launching his first official visit to India. He travelled with his wife, Diana Fox Carney.

Maharashtra’s Minister of Protocol and Marketing, Jaykumar Rawal, formally received the couple at the airport.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the visit as a meaningful step towards reinforcing India-Canada relations.

In a post on X, he extended a warm welcome to the Canadian leader and underscored the importance of the engagement. He noted that the bilateral partnership rests on shared democratic principles, robust people-to-people links, and expanding collaboration across multiple sectors.

Carney’s visit marks the first official trip to India by a Canadian Prime Minister since bilateral ties experienced a strain under the previous administration led by Justin Trudeau.

The visit signals a renewed effort to stabilise diplomatic channels and deepen economic engagement.

According to a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, Carney will meet prominent business leaders in Mumbai. He will then travel to New Delhi for high-level discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2.

The leaders will aim to elevate and broaden the Canada–India partnership. They will explore new frameworks in trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, talent mobility, culture, and defence.

Carney will also engage industry representatives to identify investment prospects in Canada and foster cross-border commercial alliances.

During his Delhi visit, he will attend the India-Canada CEOs’ Forum.

The Canadian PMO highlighted India’s status as the fastest-growing major economy and a formidable force in global trade and technology.

In 2024, India ranked as Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner in goods and services, with bilateral trade reaching 30.8 billion USD.

Prime Minister Modi previously met Carney at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg last November.

PM Modi reiterated a joint target of 50 billion USD in bilateral trade by 2030. He also observed growing interest from Canadian pension funds in Indian enterprises.

Earlier this month, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Both sides reviewed progress under the joint roadmap and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding and diversifying trade to enhance economic resilience and stability.