Letter from the President    Kanwar Dhanjal   On the cusp of change    Forming a future together

The main reason the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) celebrates the Annual Awards and Gala Night is to recognise members of the Indo-Canadian community for their achievements in different domains of public life. The Chamber has been honouring individuals for the last two-and-a-half decades, and those honoured have gone on to conquer other peaks in their splendid career.

Two key reasons for the celebration of the Annual Awards at the Gala Night by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce is to foster bilateral commercial, trade relations between Canada and India, and create business and professional opportunities for Indo-Canadians. Our Chamber began this epochal celebration at a time when the population of Indo-Canadians was miniscule, but today Indo-Canadians have crossed over 1.3 million and have scaled new peaks in all spheres of the Canadian mainstream.

In recognizing the achievements of our compatriots, we remind our own and the Canadian mainstream of the rapid strides we have taken as a community in contributing to the fabric of the Canadian society. As an emerging voice of significance in the Canadian society, the Indo-Canadians have been instrumental in channeling Canadian and Indian relations in the right direction and have brought it to a cusp of a change that will transform it into something that will benefit both Canadians and Indians.

Indo-Canadians have been working at founding a future together. And in this endeavour, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) has been in the forefront to create a better environment. Canada-India relations have been steadily rising at every level – economically, culturally, politically and in every possible way. During the recent visit of The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada to India in February 2018, both the countries reiterated their commitment to continue on their path of cooperation and collaboration.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) will continue to foster bilateral relations between Canada and India and continue to promote the interests of Indo-Canadian entrepreneurs and professionals. We will continue to recognise the achievements of Indo-Canadians because their achievements are a reflection of our collective gains.

ICCC Annual Awards 2018

This time of the year is when our Chamber receives nominations for the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards. It is a glorious tradition that launched more than 25 years ago when the ICCC began honouring achievers with its annual awards. Over the years, the awards have become coveted and prestigious. We continue to honour exceptional Indo-Canadians in eleven categories and an independent advisory board decides who wins in each category. 

Over the years, the awards have grown to encompass many spheres including entrepreneurs, professionals, technology, corporate executive, young achiever, humanitarian, lifetime and of course the member award. What is equally pertinent is that the ICCC has been among the first organisations to acknowledge crucial role that women play in all spheres and have been awarding women entrepreneurs and professionals for several years. The selection process has remained stringent and on occasions, a category has gone unrepresented when the advisory board has not found any suitable candidate in a particular category.

One of the most amazing aspects of the ICCC Annual Awards is that the awardees recognised by the ICCC subsequently go on to achieve greater glories. In that sense, the ICCC has been a talent spotter, especially in the spheres of young achievers and technology awards categories, and no less important is the role of the awards in bringing to the attention to the mainstream of the Canadian society.

The Annual Gala and Awards Night is a marquee event where we promote trade and commerce between India and Canada and recognize the achievements of Indo-Canadians from all across Canada by way of an award presentation. The Advisory Board independently chooses the award recipients in the following Award categories:

• Female Entrepreneur
• Male Entrepreneur
• Professional Female
• Professional Male
• Young Achiever
• Technology Achievement
• Corporate Executive
• Humanitarian
• Lifetime / Outstanding Achievement

Two additional awards are presented – the President’s Award, for unsung heroes, and the Members’ Award, for voluntarism and community services.

Please find time within the next couple of weeks and nominate a deserving person – whether an entrepreneur, a professional or a social entrepreneur who has served the humanitarian cause or someone who has contributed to the community on a sustained basis over the decades. Send your nomination on or before 30 April, 2018, with all the relevant documentation to the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce for consideration by the advisory board.