Canada pauses talks on trade treaty with India

India’s envoy to Canada says Ottawa has tapped the brakes on trade negotiations, just before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to New Delhi.

Report informs via foreign media that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma said Ottawa sought a pause “within the last month” to ongoing talks for an Early Progress Trade Agreement.

“The Canadian side has requested that, let’s take a pause … and then we’ll restart,” Verma said, in a wide-ranging interview ahead of next week’s G20 summit in New Delhi.

“There is an honest request from the Canadian side, and we have no reason not to accept it.”

A Canadian government official told Reuters that Canada was asking for the pause “to take stock of where we are.” The official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, declined to give more details.