India-Canada CEPA: Why Concluding Talks Is Not the Same as Ratifying a Trade Deal
Canada's High Commissioner to India said Canada is confident that negotiations on the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) can be concluded before the Indian Prime Minister's planned visit to Canada on December 11 and 12, 2026.
He explained that concluding the talks (agreeing on the final text) is different from ratification (the formal legal approval that makes a deal binding). In Canada, ratification will take more time because provincial governments are also involved.
The two sides are also working on smaller, related agreements to make business travel easier. Announcements in other areas, including space, are expected during the visit.
On students, the envoy said Canada's caps on international student permits are aimed at fraudulent, low-quality colleges, not at genuine Indian applicants. He added that the caps are not even close to being filled. Canada is home to roughly 300,000 Indian students.
He described the improvement in ties since 2025 as going "far beyond a reset", and said the relationship has seen its fastest acceleration after a series of leader-level and ministerial meetings.
India-Canada Relations: History, Rupture and Reset
India and Canada are both democracies, members of the Commonwealth and the G20, and share deep people-to-people ties through one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world. Their relationship has seen long friendly periods and sharp breakdowns. The two biggest strains came after India's 1974 nuclear test and in 2023 and 2024 over allegations linked to Khalistani extremism. Since 2025, both governments have worked to rebuild the relationship step by step.
The envoy's remarks show how far ties have recovered from the 2023 to 2024 low. A concluded CEPA during the Prime Minister's visit would be the clearest sign of the reset. His clarification on student permits matters because students are one of the strongest links between the two countries, and the caps had caused anxiety among Indian families.
Treaty-Making Power in India: Article 73 and Article 253
In India, the power to negotiate and sign treaties with other countries belongs to the Union executive, that is, the central government acting through the President, the Union Cabinet and the Ministry concerned. This power comes from Article 73 of the Constitution, which extends the Union's executive power to every subject on which Parliament can make laws. Parliament's role comes in through Article 253, which lets Parliament make a law for the whole or any part of India to implement a treaty, even on a subject in the State List. India has no single law that requires every treaty to be approved by Parliament.
The envoy separated two stages: concluding negotiations (agreeing the text) and ratification (legal approval). On the Indian side, the Union Cabinet can approve the CEPA without a parliamentary vote. On the Canadian side, federal implementing legislation and provincial involvement can make ratification slower, even after leaders announce a deal.
- Prime Minister's planned visit to Canada: December 11 to 12, 2026
- Sixth round of CEPA talks: November 2026, New Delhi
- Indian students in Canada (envoy's estimate): roughly 300,000
- Canada's 2026 study permit target: 408,000 (155,000 new arrivals and 253,000 extensions)
- Article 73: Union executive power; Article 253: Parliament's power to implement treaties; Entry 14, Union List: treaties
- In India, trade agreements are approved by the Union Cabinet; Parliament legislates only where implementation needs a law