ICCC President Naval Bajaj addressing participants at the Ottawa roundtable

Ottawa, Parliament Hill,  November 19, 2013: – A roundtable on Unlocking Potential : Future of Canada India Partnership was jointly organized by Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) and Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) with support from Senator Honourable Dr. Asha Seth at Parliament Hill, Ottawa,  on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.

At the roundtable, which was held in two sessions, the ICCC was represented by its President Naval Bajaj and Ambassador (Retd.) Kant K. Bhargava, Honorary Advisor of ICCC, and Shastri Indo Canadian Institute was represented by President Dr. Shanthi Johnson and Dr. Rajesh Tyagi.

The opening session of the roundtable was held at Hotel Westin, Ottawa where representatives from the business community, academia and government came together to discuss four themes pertaining to Canada India bilateral relations

• Education, skill development and vocational training
• Innovation, science and technology, and sustainable development
• Investment
• Roles of diaspora and bridge-builders, Canadian provinces and Indian states

Among the roundtable participants included His Excellency Admiral Nirmal Varma, Indian High Commissioner; Mr. Don Stephenson, Chief Negotiator, CEPA; Ms. Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Association of Canadian Community Colleges; Mr. Sriram Iyer, President & CEO, ICICI Bank, Canada; Mr. Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director, Mc Donald Laurier Institute; Mr. V.I. Lakshmanan, Chair, Canada India Foundation; Douglas Gould, Director, Asia Pacific Foundation; Mr. David Stewart-Patterson, Vice President, Public Poicy, The Conference Board of Canada; and Mr. Anil Arora, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources. Other participants included representatives from AUCC, Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development, and other organizations.

In his speech, Mr. Stephenson stressed on the importance of Canada India trade relationship and the challenges it faced in signing of CEPA. He highlighted the various agreements between Canada and India that were signed and also those that are in their final stages which includes the Social Security Agreement, Nuclear Co-operation Agreement and also agreements on Audio Visual Co-production, Science and Technology Partnership Program, International Education Strategy,  Investment Protection Agreement, Sector Practices established in key economic areas and expanded Trade Commissioner Services in India to promote Canadian businesses.

His Excellency Admiral Varma emphasized the importance of SMEs in the trade corridor between Canada and India which should move on even in the absence of CEPA. Honourable Senator Dr. Seth, welcomed the participants and guests at the Parliament Hill which included senators and members of parliament among others. Senator Seth congratulated Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce for successfully organizing the Roundtable.

Mr. Bajaj, President ICCC, in his address thanked Senator Honorable Asha Seth for her support and welcomed warmly all the participants. He said, “At the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, we believe that for unlocking the full potential of Canada-India partnerships, our discussions during the roundtable must factor the need for evolving a cohesive and coordinated approach by the governments of Canada and India by involving in this exercise industry, academia and governments at provincial and local levels. Contemporary research studies have shown that Canadian provinces and territories as well as Indian states have now emerged as important economic players on the global scene and are thus indispensable for building comprehensive economic partnerships. Also, we are of the view that the provinces and territories in Canada and the states in India have also important roles to play under the aegis of the aforesaid coordinated and cohesive approach at national levels.”

In her speech, Dr. Johnson, President of Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute said, "Education is the most effective tool we have to bring social change and economic prosperity.  Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute will continue to play a significant role in building and improving academic relationships between the two great nations, Canada and India." 

A joint report is being prepared by SICI and ICCC and will be disseminated to all concerned opinion, policy and decision makers.

For more information, click here: http://www.iccc.org/project