A Windsor automotive supplier is targeting India as Canada and India work toward a free trade agreement and aim to sharply expand bilateral trade by 2030.
A Windsor, Ont., manufacturer that supplies coatings for automotive rubber parts is pushing into India as Canada and India try to rebuild commercial ties and Canadian businesses look for ways to reduce exposure to U.S. tariff uncertainty.
G. Bareich Import-Export Inc., or GBIE, makes coatings used on door, sunroof and window seals to reduce wear, friction, squeaks and rattles. After years of concentrating on the American and Chinese markets, president David Bareich said the company is now pursuing India more aggressively, including after a recent visit in which he met potential clients such as automobile manufacturer Mahindra.
“The Indian market is huge,” Bareich said, pointing to India’s growing auto production. He said the company wants more sales there and sees India as a clear growth market.
The business shift comes as India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Canada this week for trade and investment meetings. Goyal has said both countries want to reach a free trade agreement in 2026 and are working to triple bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.
Two-way merchandise trade between Canada and India reached $13.6 billion in 2025. Canadian exports totalled $3.9 billion, led by vegetables, mineral fuels and oils, and wood pulp. Imports from India reached $9.7 billion, with precious stones and metals, machinery and pharmaceutical products among the main categories.
For GBIE, a trade deal could have direct financial consequences. Bareich said India currently applies a 10 per cent duty on imports, and that reducing duties and logistics costs could save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars while making it more competitive against global rivals.
He said uncertainty connected to U.S. tariffs, wider Canada-U.S. trade questions and the war in Iran has made some potential American customers hesitant to commit. That has strengthened the case, in his view, for Canadian firms to diversify. “We are a perfect example of why Canada should diversify,” Bareich said.
The diplomatic backdrop remains complicated. Canada and India have had trade talks dating back to 2010, but the process was halted in 2023 after the Canadian government accused India of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist in Surrey, B.C. Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Mumbai and New Delhi in March, and Goyal has said that visit changed how the two countries viewed each other.
Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada said India is a major part of Canada’s push to broaden its trade relationships, citing India’s fast-growing economy, expanding middle class and demand for energy, food, technology and investment. She said two rounds of negotiations have been completed, though the timeline for a deal remains ambitious.
For companies such as GBIE, the next test is whether the renewed political momentum can become a trade agreement that lowers barriers before the 2026 target.
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