September 18, 2026
The Government of Canada is still negotiating free trade agreements with India, ASEAN, and the Philippines. Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, is traveling to the area this week to discuss bilateral trade and investment ties and to advance the negotiations.
Canada and India began free trade negotiations in late 2025. Minister Sidhu will meet with India ministers and business representatives to discuss bilateral trade and to advance negotiations toward a Canada-India comprehensive economic partnership agreement. The two countries have expressed the shared objective of concluding negotiations by the end of 2026.
The Canadian Minister will also be participating in the Fifteenth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers-Canada Consultation in Manila, Philippines on September 21-22, 2026. He will meet with ASEAN partners to advance the ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement negotiations. Canada and ASEAN launched negotiations toward a free trade agreement in 2021.
Canada and the Philippines launched free trade negotiations in April 2026. While in Manila, Minister Sidhu will hold talks with Filipino partners to advance negotiations toward a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement.