As India and Canada work toward a free trade deal, a business in Windsor, Ont., is also eyeing the potential for growth in efforts to minimize the uncertainty linked to U.S. tariffs.
“The Indian market is huge,” said David Bareich, president of G. Bareich Import-Export Inc. (GBIE). “They are dramatically increasing their automotive production. They’re very ambitious, and it’s a growth market for us for sure. … we absolutely want to be there. We need to be there.”
GBIE manufactures coatings for the automotive rubber industry. From door and sunroof seals to window seals, these coatings go atop the rubber, making the seal more resistant to abrasion and friction, and “eliminating squeaks and rattles” from the car.
Bareich said global uncertainty from U.S. tariffs and the war in Iran have meant a lot of American customers are not picking up their phones.
“Uncertainty impacts us. Indecision and lack of decision-making at potential customers, especially in America as they’re waiting to see how the global trade situation, specifically between Canada and the States, works itself out.”
His company’s efforts to expand trade with India mark a departure from focusing on the American and Chinese markets.
“We’d like a lot more sales in India,” so GBIE is pursuing that goal “aggressively,” said Bareich.
Those wheels are in motion at the federal level too.
Diversification key for Canada
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal of India was in Canada this week, with their largest-ever trade delegations, for meetings on trade and investment. Goyal has said both countries are keen to reach a free trade agreement in 2026.
As Canada aims to diversify its trade partners, Goyal said, the two countries are working to triple trade to $70 billion by 2030.
CBC has reached out to Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu for a comment.
Wrapped up a highly productive visit to Canada with an engaging interaction with members of the Canada-India Foundation.
Highlighted the important contribution of the Indo-Canadian community in bringing our two nations closer through stronger business engagement and… pic.twitter.com/NO0y7MZ7RZ
In 2025, two‑way merchandise trade between Canada and India reached $13.6 billion.
Canadian exports were at $3.9 billion — led by vegetables, mineral fuels and oils, and wood pulp — while imports from India totalled $9.7 billion, primarily consisting of precious stones and metals, machinery and pharmaceutical products.
Bareich said he visited India recently and met with a variety of new clients, including the Indian automobile manufacturing giant Mahindra.
He said a Canada-India free trade agreement would help businesses like theirs as it would remove the 10 per cent duty India levies on the imports and reduce logistical costs, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.
“If Canada was able to negotiate a drop in the duty, we would be at a significant advantage compared to our global competitors,” he said. “So getting a trade deal with Canada would allow the Indian market to benefit from products like ours.”
Bareich said other businesses should follow suit. He remains hopeful Canada will secure a deal to bring more goods to the Indian market.
“We [GBIE] are a perfect example of why Canada should diversify. If we only sold to Canada, we would be done the entire year of production in probably three days.”
‘New emerging world order’
Canada and India have been in trade talks since 2010, but that was shut down in 2023 after the Canadian government accused India of playing a role in the assassination of a Sikh activist in Surrey, B.C.
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Mumbai and New Delhi in March. Goyal said Carney’s visit “completely changed the way Canada and India looked at each other.”
Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada said this is a pivotal moment for the two countries.
“India is an important part of Canada’s diversification agenda,” Nadjibulla said. “We’re trying to reduce our overreliance on the U.S., and India is one of the fastest-growing major economies. It has a growing middle class. Its economy is really complementary to Canada’s.
“It has a need for energy, for food, technology, for investment — all the things that Canada is able to provide. So there is an interest on the part of Canada to do more when it comes to commercial and economic relations with India.”
For India, too, Nadjibulla said, Canada is also an important trade partner. She said the two countries are in a “full reset” mode and the momentum for a free trade agreement is in full swing, with two rounds of negotiations already completed.
While it’s an ambitious timeline, Nadjibulla said it’s needed to bring more predictability to the markets.
The Current16:10Is India the answer to Canada’s trade troubles?
Mark Carney’s visit to India is supposed to “reset” relations and expand trade. There’s no question there are plenty of opportunities. It’s the world’s most populous country with a growing middle class and an appetite for many of the products Canada makes. We speak to Tom Sundher of Sundher Timber Products about why he thinks India offers great opportunities for Canadian softwood producers wary of U.S. tariffs and duties. We also hear from Michael Klauck of Can-Eng Furnaces, about the challenges he faced navigating India’s bureaucracy, and actually getting paid. Plus, Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation about what Canadians get wrong about India today — and what it would take to strengthen ties.
Nadjibulla, who visits India regularly, said a lot of Canadian businesses, from agriculture to services, are already working to deepen their ties.
“The global balance of power is shifting and India is very much part of that equation,” she said.
“India is not only an important regional power, but a growing global power and significant actor for Canada to work not just bilaterally with, but also in shaping this new emerging world order.”
