Arrival of a new consul general of India in Toronto is always a momentous occasion. In welcoming Dinesh Bhatia as India’s new consul general in Toronto, we at the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) are excited at the prospects of continuing our efforts to foster bilateral trade between Canada and India. Mr. Bhatia has been in Toronto since March 2016, and our Chamber organized a business reception for him recently that was attended by business leaders of the community.

In 2015 over 40,000 students from India were enrolled in Canadian educational institutions, constituting 12 percent of the total enrolment of international students. The number of students has steadily been increasing, and the year to year rise was expected to be 11 percent. Indian students require handholding when they come to Canada; they need cultural acclimatization and a sense of belonging to feel secure in an alien environment at least initially.

Along with the ICCC, the Consulate General can launch an association that can provide this backing to the Indian students when they come to Canada. We can extend this service to subsequently also include linking the students to different small businesses owned and operated by Indo-Canadian entrepreneurs and professionals. Thus both the ICCC and the CGI-Toronto can become conduits for a swifter and better integration of the Indian students in Canada.

The challenge today before Canadian and Indian policy practitioners is to work simultaneously on two fronts. They must provide insights that would assist in bringing to fruition the protracted negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement based on the six year old 2010 report of the Joint Study Group set up by the two Governments.

 At the same time they need to set in motion a wide ranging policy dialogue that will assist in the building up of a more ambitious partnership by taking into account contemporary developments such as Internet of Things, Climate Change, developments in the Arctic, commercialisation of renewable energy and other clean technology, e -commerce, venture capital, cyber security and counter terrorism.

For this purpose, the two Governments need to set up a High Level Group comprising of concerned Government officials as well as knowledgeable specialists in these areas for preparing a joint report for consideration of two Governments. 

Canada needs to consider its possible responses to brand schemes such as Make in India, Skills Development, Smart Cities Project and Digital India. How can Canada be a part of the solution of looming problems affecting tens of millions in India in regard to nutrition security, and water crises?

The Report of the above mentioned High Level Group, which may also include ideas that emerged at 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos on the theme “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, could be a basis for the building of a broader and more ambitious partnership in the context of contemporary global developments. 

Lambton College

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