India invites Carney for AI summit, both sides agree to restart trade talks, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• India has invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in February.
• India and Canada have agreed to restart ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investments.
• The Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue will be re-established for cooperation on renewables and critical minerals.
• Both countries will relaunch the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee.
• Preliminary talks have begun on Small Modular Technology (SMR) nuclear-powered reactors.

Detailed Insights:

• Discussions to repair relations intensified after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Mark Carney in June.
• Catherine Drouin, Canadian National Security and Intelligence Advisor, met with Ajit Doval in Delhi in September for security-level talks.
• India and Canada are considering starting trade talks from scratch, potentially abandoning the previous Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) effort.
• Discussions also explored cooperation in energy, technology, and food security.
• Canadian AI companies and researchers are encouraged to participate in India’s AI Impact Summit from February 19 to 20, 2026.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems.
• Renewable Energy: Energy derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly.
• Critical Minerals: Minerals essential for various industries and technologies, with supply chain vulnerabilities.
• Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): A type of trade agreement to reduce or eliminate trade barriers between countries.