Sanjay Kumar Verma, New Delhi’s high commissioner to Ottawa, said the Liberal government sought a hold on discussions over an Early-Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) in the last month. Trade Minister Mary Ng’s office did not respond to The Logic’s request for comment by deadline. (The Canadian Press, The Logic)

Talking point: Ottawa formally started trying to do a trade deal with New Delhi in November 2010, but the first attempt fizzled. The two countries launched talks on the EPTA—an interim deal ahead of a comprehensive treaty—in March 2022. Ten formal rounds of negotiations have followed. On a visit to Canada in May, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said an agreement by the end of this year is “not beyond the realm of possibility.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in New Delhi next week for the G20 Summit. But as of last month, Ottawa did not anticipate having an agreement ready for the leaders to announce during that visit, a senior government official told The Logic on condition they not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Ng is scheduled to lead a trade mission to India in October.