Ottawa - Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma has revealed that Canada recently requested a pause in ongoing talks for an Early Progress Trade Agreement, stating that this request was made "within the last month."

In an interview ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Verma explained, "The Canadian side has requested that, let's take a pause; let's see what can be done further, and then we'll restart."

He further added, "I'm not sure what the reason is. But there is an honest request from the Canadian side, and we have no reason not to accept it."
Since March 2022, both countries have been negotiating a deal focused on specific industries rather than covering the entire economy, marking a significant departure from their earlier comprehensive deal negotiations that began in 2010 and were abandoned in 2017.

Verma emphasized the intensity of the negotiations, with "10 rounds in 13 months," illustrating the determination of both nations to forge closer economic ties. He suggested that the pause may have been requested to allow for better consultations with industry stakeholders as the negotiations near their conclusion, stating, "Our understanding is that there needs to be — now that we are coming closer to the end of the negotiations — probably more consultations with the stakeholders," while acknowledging that this was speculative on his part.