Hodgson first federal minister to attend India Energy Week
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Markham-Thornhill MP Tim Hodgson attended India Energy Week (IEW) 2026, where he met with Indian ministers, industry leaders and global energy partners to discuss trade opportunities that he says will play a “key role” in resetting and strengthening Canada-India relations.
“This was the first time a Canadian federal minister has attended IEW and that matters. It signals a clear shift in how Canada is engaging with one of the most consequential economies of this century,” Hodgson says.
“For Canadians, and especially for the many families in Markham-Thornhill with deep ties to India, this visit was critical. It reflects Canada’s commitment to diversification, to resilience and to building long-term prosperity in a changing world.”
India is already the fastest-growing major economy in the world, Hodgson reports. “It is also the country with the fastest-growing energy demand, roughly equal to China and Southeast Asia combined. By 2040, India’s energy consumption is expected to more than double. It is pretty clear: if Canada is serious about being an energy superpower, we have to be serious about India.”
Canada and India’s two-way trade currently exceeds $23 billion annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in both countries, according to Hodgson. “But we are nowhere near the ceiling of what is possible,” he says.
Canada has restarted negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which is expected to more than double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030, he reports. “Energy, critical minerals, clean technology, agriculture and advanced manufacturing will all be central to that agreement and growing Canada-India trade and investment.”
Hodgson met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, and officially reinstated the Canada–India Ministerial Energy Dialogue. He also met with India’s Ministers of New and Renewable Energy, Heavy Industries, and Chemicals and Fertilizers. “Our discussions covered clean power deployment, industrial decarbonization, fertilizer supply chains, critical minerals, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing. In each case, the message was clear: Canada has what India needs and India offers a market that provides significant opportunities for Canadian companies.”
Hodgson says his objective during his trip to India was simple: turn Canada’s competitive advantages into future trading opportunities. “Ultimately, this trip reflects Canada’s new, pragmatic approach to global engagement: building strength at home while diversifying abroad, so we are never dependent on any single market again,” he says.
Photo: Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Markham-Thornhill MP Tim Hodgson attended India Energy Week (IEW) 2026, where he met with Indian ministers, industry leaders and global energy partners to discuss trade opportunities that he says will play a “key role” in resetting and strengthening Canada-India relations.