Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, on Tuesday praised India’s free trade agreement with the European Union as a “perfect” response to global powers that use tariffs and economic pressure as tools of coercion. Speaking at India Energy Week 2026, Hodgson highlighted the need for nations to diversify trade and energy partnerships rather than relying on a single dominant market.

Without naming the United States or former President Donald Trump, Hodgson criticized what he described as a shift away from a rules-based, multilateral trading system toward a more mercantilist approach. “What is happening in the world today is not a gradual economic transition. It is a rupture,” he said. “The hegemons of the world have decided the rules-based order is no longer how the world will work.”

He said India’s decision to conclude the India-EU trade agreement, described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “mother of all deals,” sends a clear signal in favor of free trade and trusted international partnerships. “What you just did with the EU signing was a perfect example of how to say no,” Hodgson said. “We’re not going to live in a world where the strongest put tariffs on everyone else. We’re going to live in a world where we believe in free trade and trusted relationships.”

Hodgson stressed that Canada, which previously exported 98 percent of its energy to the United States, recognized the risks of overdependence on a single market. He said Canada is now seeking to diversify its energy exports and sees India as a strategic partner in this effort. “We believe the world we want to live in is one where we trade with everyone. We will never use our energy for coercion,” he added.

Energy security, according to Hodgson, has become central to global geopolitics, making diversified supply chains a key priority. He noted Canada’s vast reserves of uranium and the expansion of infrastructure to its west coast to support broader international exports. Highlighting Europe’s reliance on a single natural gas supplier as a strategic mistake, Hodgson emphasized that such dependency should never be repeated.

India, as one of the fastest-growing sources of global energy demand, presents a major opportunity for cooperation with Canada across LNG, LPG, oil, uranium, and critical minerals. Hodgson concluded that middle powers should collaborate to resist coercive economic practices, build multilateral relationships, and ensure resilient, diversified energy and trade networks.