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Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, on Tuesday described India’s free trade agreement with the European Union as an ideal response to global powers that use tariffs and economic dependencies as instruments of pressure.

Speaking at India Energy Week 2026, Hodgson emphasized that Ottawa aims to expand energy exports to India to diversify its customer base beyond the United States. “We will never use our energy for coercion,” he said.

He highlighted the broader shift in the global economy, observing that major powers are moving away from a rules-based, multilateral trading system toward a more mercantilist approach. Without naming any country explicitly, Hodgson noted that “the hegemons of the world have decided the rules-based order is no longer how the world will work.”

In this context, he praised India’s decision to conclude its trade deal with the EU, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as the ‘mother of all deals,’ saying it sends a strong signal in support of free trade and reliable partnerships. “What you achieved with the EU is a perfect example of saying no to coercion,” Hodgson remarked.

The minister also underscored the strategic importance of diversifying energy supply. Noting that Canada previously exported 98% of its energy to a single country, he called it a “strategic blunder” and said India presents a key opportunity for diversification across LNG, LPG, oil, uranium, and critical minerals.

Drawing lessons from Europe, Hodgson said over-reliance on a single gas supplier had proven costly and emphasized that energy security is now central to geopolitics. “We believe the world should trade broadly and never use energy as a tool of coercion,” he added.

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He concluded by highlighting the role of middle powers like India and Canada in fostering multilateral cooperation to resist unilateral economic pressures and build resilient, diversified supply chains.