Senior Canadian Ministers Meeting Modi and NDA Ministers
New Delhi, Oct 11: Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is leading a high powered trade delegation to India with a view to having a fruitful dialogue with the Modi government and raising the level of bilateral trade to a higher level and also enhance security preparedness globally.
Other members of the delegation include International trade Minister Ed Fast, National Revenue Minister, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, and parliamentary secretaries Bob Dechert and Deepak Obhrai.
The Canadian delegation visit to India begins from October 12 to 17. Baird and Fast will meet with senior government officials to discuss global and regional security, economic prosperity and other bilateral matters. Baird and India’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Sushma Swaraj will engage in the annual discussions around the Canada-India Strategic Dialogue in Delhi, a communique from the Canadian High Commission said.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said :” The recent transition in India marks an important chapter in our relationship, one that Canada looks forward to deepening and broadening. Issues surrounding global security, terrorism and economic prosperity will be the focus of our discussions with the Modi Government as we look to this next chapter with a wealth of optimism.”
“Canada and India share a special bond and have clearly laid out the importance of our relationship through the Canada-India Strategic Dialogue, ” he said.
Minister Fast, along with Parliamentary Secretary Dechert, will lead a six-day, three-city trade mission to Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh to boost Canada and India’s trade and investment partnerships. They will be joined by representatives of 14 Canadian organizations, including small and medium-sized enterprises, looking for opportunities to export to India.
With more than 1,200 Canadian businesses already active in India, and hundreds more pursuing opportunities here, Minister Fast will provide on-the-ground support to Canadian investors and businesses.
Baird and Fast will also meet with Indian ministers and business leaders to bring new energy and ambition to the partnership between Canada and India.
Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai will lead a delegation comprising representatives of six Canadian organizations to Jaipur, Hyderabad and Mumbai to strengthen the Canada-India bilateral relationship in areas such as regional security, education and trade.
Quick Facts:
- India is a priority market under Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan.
- Canada and India have long-standing bilateral relations built upon shared traditions of democracy, pluralism and a strong and growing Indian community in Canada.
- Since 2010, bilateral trade with India has increased 38 percent to $5.8 billion.
- India is a market comprising more than 1.2 billion consumers, with a GDP of $1.9 trillion in 2013 and a predicted annual economic growth of 6.6 percent between now and 2019.
- Canada has a strong network of trade support in India that includes eight Canadian trade commissioner offices and five Export Development Canada representatives.
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited India in November 2012, outlining issues of mutual benefit and concern.