British Columbia Premier David Eby will lead a trade mission to India from Jan. 12 to 17, 2026, visiting New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bengaluru with Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon to promote sustainable forestry, clean energy, clean technology and critical minerals, and to reduce B.C.’s reliance on the United States market.
Four cities in six days
Eby and Ravi Kahlon, the minister of jobs and economic growth, will meet government and business leaders in the four cities during the Jan. 12-17 mission, the Premier’s office said in a statement issued ahead of the trip.
New Delhi is India’s political capital, Mumbai its financial centre, Chandigarh the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana in the north, and Bengaluru its best-known technology hub. The province already keeps trade and investment representatives in each of the four cities, part of a network of more than 50 representatives working in 14 markets in North America, Europe and Asia.
The mission will showcase what the province describes as its leadership in sustainable forestry, clean energy and responsible mining. It will also promote B.C. businesses, critical minerals and sustainable wood products more broadly, in support of what the government calls a more independent economy.
A mission built around Look West
The trip is part of Look West: Jobs and Prosperity for BC and Canada, the province’s industrial and economic plan. One of the plan’s stated goals is to double B.C. exports to markets outside the United States over 10 years.
That target explains the timing. The province launched a Trade Diversification Strategy in early 2023 to widen its trading base, and recent missions to Asia and Europe have promoted B.C. in life sciences, technology, agriculture, forestry, ocean science and innovation. India is the latest and largest stop in that push.
“With unjustified tariffs from the U.S. impacting B.C. workers and businesses, it’s more important than ever to deepen strategic relationships with international partners to attract new investment and support good-paying jobs in British Columbia,” Eby said. “India is a key market for B.C. with enormous opportunities for trade.”
Kahlon made the same point in provincial terms. “British Columbia has the highest share of exports to India of any province,” he said. He added that the mission would work by “attracting investment and reducing our reliance on U.S. markets through diversified trade partnerships.”
Goods exported from B.C. to India were worth US$1.3 billion in 2024, according to figures released with the mission announcement.
What B.C. is selling
India is the world’s third-highest energy consumer and is moving toward becoming the world’s third-largest economy, the province noted. Its demand for clean technology and clean energy is growing, and B.C. says it has both to offer.
The resource case rests on specific assets. B.C. has 18 operating mines and two smelters, and it produces, or has the potential to produce, at least 19 of the minerals on Canada’s critical minerals list and the United States’ 2025 draft list, including copper, germanium, nickel and rare-earth elements. Within Canada, B.C. is the second-largest producer of natural gas, and on its own it would rank as the world’s 12th-largest natural gas producer.
Forestry is the other main pitch. Forestry Innovation Investment, the province’s market development agency for forest products, has been promoting B.C. wood species in India for years under the Canadian Wood brand. The delegation is expected to build on that work rather than start a new market from zero.
“Diversifying trade and investment, securing supply chains, retaining customers and opening new markets have always been important, but are now more urgent due to the chaotic and unjustified tariffs from the U.S.,” Eby said. The province says further missions and follow-up work with Indian partners will continue after the delegation returns home.
