News 

The board of directors are delighted to inform the members, stakeholders and sponsors of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) of the continued support of three of its sector sponsors – Seneca, TELUS and Raymond James Ltd.

"As the ICCC looks to consolidate its position as the leading bilateral Chamber in the Canada - India space, it is encouraging to see that our traditional supporters continue to repose faith in our ability to deliver. We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership with these three sector sponsors," said Pramod Goyal, President, ICCC.

All the three sponsors will continue to support ICCC in 2020.

 

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a leader in providing higher education and skills development to international and local students, Seneca College has been a Sector Sponsor since 2018. Together, ICCC and Seneca have worked on several pathbreaking projects in the spheres of higher learning and skills development. In 2020, ICCC and Seneca will offer joint programs in Canada and in India. To know more about Seneca, click here: Seneca College

TELUS Business is a has been ICCC’s Sector Sponsor since 2018. It has gifted several cellphones, plans and accessories to ICCC members during the length of its sponsorship. TELUS is known for helping improve lives and communities across Canada by ensuring equal access to technology, promoting its responsible use, and putting it to work for good. TELUS offers special festive discounts to ICCC members four times in a year. To avail of the ongoing discount, click here: TELUS offer

Raymond James is one of North America's leading independent full-service investment dealers with an extensive presence across Canada and the United States. Raymond James Ltd. is the Canadian subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. It has been a Sector Sponsor of ICCC since 2019. From January 2020, Rakesh Vijay of Raymond James will provide advise on investment / wealth management / taxation and / or allied subject every quarter in ICCC’s Newsletter. To know more about Raymond James, click here: Raymond James.

Newsletter - January 2020

President's Message

By Pramod Goyal

A New Year and a new decade has dawned. A decade that will witness major transformations. We are now in 2020, the year that the late President of India APJ Abdul Kalam visualized India would be a developed country. The Karmayogi had observed that “A developed India should be able to take care of its strategic interests through its internal strength and its ability to adjust itself to the new realities. For this it will need the strength of its healthy, educated and prosperous people, the strength of its economy, as well as strength to protect its strategic interests of the day and in the long term.”

As India celebrates its 70th Republic Day, it has achieved President Kalam’s dream “not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.” Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is regaining its confidence in its abilities to fulfill its dream, achieve its aspirations and overcome obstacles. This is because under the Modi government, India has adopted the approach of “Reform with intent, perform with integrity, transform with intensity.”

On this occasion, it is time for Indians living abroad to introspect and think about how they can contribute to India’s growth story. What role can they play in meeting India’s developmental needs? This is not an abstract notion. I believe that all of us, especially first-generation immigrants, owe our success to India. We may have earned our spurs in foreign lands, but the roots of our success are in India.

To read more, click here: President's Message

Insight

World Economic League Table - 2020

Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd, London, UK. Cebr is an independent economics and business research consultancy established in 1992

The 11th issue of Cebr’s World Economic League Table, WELT2020, is the scorecard for economic activity for the current year and compare countries’ dollar GDP both for the current year and for the fifteen years ahead. Essentially WELT tracks the pace of globalisation as countries in the emerging markets catch up with and overtake the traditionally more advanced economies.

To read the report’s predictions for Canada and India, click here: WELT2020

Programs & Events

ICCC in India

• ICCC is TPCI’s Global Alliance Partner
• ICCC facilitates Hon. Sonia Sidhu’s Mumbai meetings

To read more, click here: Programs and Events

In the News

• ICCC signs MoU with ICAI
• Indian Consulate's Reception for Lok Sabha Speaker

To read more, click here: In the News

Money Talk

By Rakesh Vijay

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce introduces a quarterly column on investment / taxation / wealth management and / or allied subject by Rakesh Vijay of Raymond James.

• ®    Are You Ready for Some Advice?
• ®    Are you paralyzed by information overload?
• ®    Are you unclear about the strategic direction of you investment portfolio?
• ®    Do you feel you don’t have the time to invest wisely?
• ®    Is investing a regular source of worry?

Click here for answers to these questions: Money Talk

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce

924 The East Mall Toronto ON M9B 6K1

Tel: (416) 224-0090 Fax: (416) 916-0086

Email: iccc@iccconline.org
Website: www.iccconline.org

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce PTC PUNJABI CANADA as its Media Partner for 2019-20.

PTC PUNJABI CANADA television channel is a part of the PTC NETWORK, which is one of the leading television networks that began in 2008 in India and has since acquired a global footprint, with a significant presence in India, the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom.

PTC PUNJABI CANADA is a combination of PTC Punjabi, PTC News and PTC Chak De, the leading Punjabi Entertainment, Punjabi News and Punjabi Music channels under the umbrella of G Next Media. The channels are commitment bound to the overall objective of being part of the daily lives of millions of Punjabi viewers through its various programming initiatives.

PTC NETWORK is the biggest and the best Punjabi television network in the World, commanding 80 percent of the market share in terms of viewership and revenue.

PTC NETWORK is the biggest Punjabi channel worldwide and in North America as well, catering to 120000 eyeballs just in Canada, a large chunk of its Canadian viewership is from Brampton, which has a huge Punjabi population.

PTC PUNJABI CANADA produces a lot of Canadian content like North America Bulletin, In Focus, Canada De Super Chef, The Trucking Show etc, which are extremely popular. 

PTC PUNJABI CANADA is available on all platforms like Rogers, Bell, Bell Fibe, Shaw, Telus , dish and IPTV.

The USP and the soul of the channel remains the daily telecast of GURBANI KIRTAN from the GOLDEN TEMPLE for which the company has 11 year exclusive rights.

President's Message

ICCC team’s successful India visit

18 to 22 November 2019

ICCC President & Directors accompany Ontario's Minister Vic Fedeli to
New Delhi and Mumbai

Ontario and India have traditionally strong trading links. the two-way trade between the province of Ontario and India is worth C$3.2 billion. Nine per cent of Canadian exports to India are from Ontario.

The province has Trade and Investment Offices in New Delhi and Mumbai to attract and facilitate investment deals, help small- and medium-sized enterprises expand their export capacity and promote the province’s open for business mandate.

In view of the growing economic reliance, frequent visits by Ontario Ministers to India are becoming a norm rather than an exception that they were a few years ago. Last month, Hon. Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade went to India between 18 and 22 November 2019.

Hon. Nina Tangri, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and Hon. Deepak Anand, Member of Provincial Parliament from Malton-Mississauga accompanied Minister Fedeli. Both Hon. Tangri and Hon. Anand are Indo-Canadians who have a long history of association with the community and with our Chamber. 

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce was the only stakeholder organisation working in the Canada – India bilateral trade promotion space to be invited to join the Ministerial delegation.

It was an honour and a privilege to accompany the Minister to Delhi and Mumbai. My colleagues on the board Vijay Thomas, VP & Director, International Trade and IT; Arvind Bhardwaj, VP & Director, Small & Medium Enterprises; and Virender Rathi, who subsequently joined the board, accompanied me on the trip.

We were a witness to a historic business trip by Minister Fedeli, and I have no hesitation in stating that the visit will lead to more intense cooperation between Ontario and India.

To read more, click here: President's Message

Update on Special General Meet

An overwhelming 84 percent of members of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce who voted at the Special General Body meeting on 03 December approved of the appointment of the following directors.

• Pramod Goyal
• Tauseef Sheikh
• Sanjay Kulkarni
• Surinder Sharma
• Vijay Thomas
• Arvind Bhardwaj
• Don Patel
• Virender Rathi

To read the profiles of the board members, click here: Directors

Note:

In view of her personal and business preoccupations at present, Mini Khurana has expressed her inability to take on the responsibility of a director at Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and has since withdrawn her name from the newly-elected board.

Program and Events

Canadian Trade Commissioner Service

Wealth Management & Tax Strategies

Canadian Trade Commissioner Service

Sue Rauth, Deputy Director and Amit Ranjan, Trade Commissioner, both from the Regional Office of the Trade Commissioner Service addressed members and guests of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) on Thursday 21 November 2019 on the services offered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service to Canadian businesses.

Their presentation, entitled Programs and Services of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), provided a perspective for Canadian entrepreneurs to explore the global markets with the assistance of the Canadian federal government.

The four core services that TCS provide are:

• Prepare for International Markets
• Assessing Market Potential
• Finding Qualified Contacts
• Resolving Problems

These services are provided at no cost to qualified clients. Clients selection criteria is simple and involves Canadian companies who have developed an export plan; have selected and researched their target market. These entities should be incorporated and have an existing track record of sales in Canada.

They also spoke about the CanExport – SME scheme and its assistance to small businesses to explore global markets. The scheme funds the following activities:

• Business travel,
• Market research,
• Participation at trade events and fairs,
• Adaptation and translation of marketing tools,
• Intellectual property protection, certification, and adaptation of contracts,
• Expert advice on business, legal or tax matters

The presentation was well received by the members and guests of the ICCC.

Wealth Management & Tax Strategies

Rakesh Vijay, Senior Wealth Manager and Trevor R Parry, Senior Tax and Estate Planning Advisor at Raymond James made a presentation on Wealth Management and Tax Strategies on 6 December at the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. The audience comprised a select group of members and guests including high net worth investors and advisers.

Rakesh Vijay is a Senior Wealth Manager and Chairman Council Member at Raymond James Ltd. He leads a team of nine assisting both high net worth or a novice investor make the right investment decisions. His specialities include Wealth Management Services, including estate planning, life insurance, trust services, tax planning, and more.

Trevor Perry is an expert on taxation. He speaks regularly across the country for organizations such as STEP and Advocis. Trevor is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Albany Club, and the Royal Canadian Military Institute. He is an Associate Member of CALU and is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada, having been called to the Ontario Bar in 1996.

Rakesh Vijay spoke on the Benefits of Fee Based Accounts versus Buying Mutua Funds and Trevor Parry spoke about Tax Challenges and Superior Solutions for Your Business. In his presentation titled, Navigating the Rapids: Tax Challenges in the Lifecycle of a Business, Parry spoke about the current political climate and its influence on tax policies and therefore its impact on investment decisions.

Speaking on the occasion, Pramod Goyal, President, ICCC, said, “Today’s session is part of our leadership’s effort to bring quality programming for our members that adds value to their strong and continuing association with their Chamber. Let me emphasize that the new leadership of the Chamber is committed to upholding the glorious principles on which it was established 42 years ago.”

India Mission 2020

6 January - 15 January 2020

New Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Mumbai

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) will lead its annual India Mission between 6 January and 15 January 2020.

The trade mission will primarily focus on F&B, agrifood and services sectors, and will visit New Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Mumbai. In New Delhi, the delegates will participate in Indus Food on 8 and 9 January.

The business delegates will be engaged in different B2B meetings, seminars, conferences, expo and focused group meetings based on their sectors. ICCC is closely working with its India office and MoU partners in India to finalize the meetings.

The mission delegates will be successful in getting new business connections which will pave the way for their cooperation with Indian partners and possibly open up the opportunities for collaboration.

Our past missions have witnessed participation from the decision makers from Canadian and Indian governments at the federal, provincial and city levels. During the last decade, we have successfully forged linkages with our partners – chambers of commerce, industry associations and trade promotion agencies – from across India.

These partners in success have ensured that every India Mission has resulted in tie-ups between Canadian and Indian small businesses, leading to collaborations. In addition, the Canadian diplomatic corps, and especially the Trade Commissioners’ Services, have taken a keen interest in ensuring that our missions are a success. All these factors are a clear sign that our India Mission 2018 is going to be a tremendous success.

We invite you to participate in the Mission. Contact Pawan Chankotra for more information: pc@iccconline.org / (416) 224-0090.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce presents

Interactive session on Wealth Management and Tax Strategies / Planning

Rakesh Vijay	Trevor R. Parry
will speak on	will speak on
Benefits of Fee base accounts v/s buying Mutual Funds	Tax Challenges and Superior Solutions for your Business

Member of

The ICCC team comprising Pramod Goyal, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce; Vijay Thomas, Director, International Trade and Information Technology; and Arvind Bhardwaj, Director, Program and Events, accompanied Hon. Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade on his India trip between 18 and 22 November 2019.

The Ontario Minister went to New Delhi and Mumbai during the trip. Hon. Nina Tangri, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and Hon. Deepak Anand, Member of Provincial Parliament from Malton-Mississauga accompanied Minister Fedeli.

The trip comprised two independent delegations – the first had representatives from stakeholder organisations and the other had Canadian businesses from the information technology and infrastructure sector.

“Minister Fedeli’s visit was tremendously successful and will lead to more intense cooperation between Ontario and India,” Pramod Goyal said, upon his return from India.

The ICCC President utilised the India visit to do the necessary spadework in organising the upcoming ICCC India Mission 2020 (5 January to 15 January 2020).

In New Delhi, Mr. Goyal met India’s Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Hon. PC Sarangi and Hon. Rita Bahugana, MP, in New Delhi. He also met Mr. D. K. Agarwal, President, and Dr. Ranjit Mehta, Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal, Executive Director, Indian Trade Promotion Organisation; Mr. Mohit Singla, Chairperson, Trade Promotion Council of India. In Mumbai, he met Mr. Vijay Kalantri, Vice President World Trade Centre-Mumbai; Chandrakant Salunkhe, President, SME Chamber of India; Mr. Jagat Shah, of Global Network.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce is an MoU partner with most of these organisations.

In addition, in New Delhi, during the Indo-Canada Business Chamber’s Annual Convention, Mr. Goyal met with officers from Trade Commissioners Service Mr. Andrew Smith. in Mumbai, during the Canada India Business Council's 7th Annual Canada - India Business Forum, Mr. Goyal interacted with Hamilton Mayor His Worship Mr. Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton; His Worship Mr. Stephen Molnar, Mayor of Town of Tillsonburg; Canada’s Consul General in Mumbai Ms. Annie Dube and Director of Hamilton Economic Development Council Mr. Glen Norton.

Pertinently, the two-way trade between the province of Ontario and India is worth C$3.2 billion. Nine per cent of Canadian exports to India are from Ontario. The province has Trade and Investment Offices in New Delhi and Mumbai to attract and facilitate investment deals, help small- and medium-sized enterprises expand their export capacity and promote the province’s open for business mandate. More than 50 Indian companies across all sectors have operations and investments in Ontario, and over 52,000 Indian post-secondary students studied in Ontario’s world-class universities and colleges during the 2018 to 2019 school year.

From l to r: Surinder Sharma, Ajay Tandon, Sue Rauth, Amit Ranjan, Sanjay Kulkarni and Tauseef Sheikh

Sue Rauth, Deputy Director and Amit Ranjan, Trade Commissioner, both from the Regional Office of the Trade Commissioner Service addressed members and guests of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) on Thursday 21 November 2019 on the services offered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service to Canadian businesses.

Their presentation, entitled Programs and Services of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), provided a perspective for Canadian entrepreneurs to explore the global markets with the assistance of the Canadian federal government.

The four core services that TCS provide are:

• Prepare for International Markets
• Assessing Market Potential
• Finding Qualified Contacts
• Resolving Problems

These services are provided at no cost to qualified clients. Clients selection criteria is simple and involves Canadian companies who have developed an export plan; have selected and researched their target market. These entities should be incorporated and have an existing track record of sales in Canada.

They also spoke about the CanExport – SME scheme and its assistance to small businesses to explore global markets. The scheme funds the following activities:

• Business travel,
• Market research,
• Participation at trade events and fairs,
• Adaptation and translation of marketing tools,
• Intellectual property protection, certification, and adaptation of contracts,
• Expert advice on business, legal or tax matters

The presentation was well received by the members and guests of the ICCC.

ICCC Newsletter - November 2019  President's Message    Pramod Goyal Minister Fedeli’s India visit While a lot has been achieved during the last five years, and especially during the Canadian Prime Minister’s India visit last year in which ICCC led the largest business delegation of over 65 entrepreneurs, trade between Canada and India stays around $8billion which is way below of the potential of both the economies. With $3.1 billion in two-way trade between Ontario and India, Ontario’s contribution to the Canada – India bilateral trade accounts for over 37%, and 9% of Canadian exports to India are from Ontario. Later in November, I will be participating in a trade delegation to India led by Hon. Victor Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade. The business delegation will travel to New Delhi and Mumbai to leverage Ontario's strengths in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Infrastructure. It is heartening to note that within a span of six months, two Ontario ministers have led a trade delegation to India. In May 2019, Hon. Todd Smith, who was at that time the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, had gone to India and focused on agri-food, automotive, infrastructure and ICT sectors. Now, the November 2019 mission led by Minister Fedeli will focus on infrastructure and ICT. Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce has facilitated the India trips of former Ontario Premiers Hon. Dalton McGuinty in December 2009 and Hon. Kathleen Wynne in 2016. Our Chamber will work with the Ontario government to facilitate Premier Doug Ford’s trip to India soon. There is more information about our mission in the newsletter. I hope you will be enthused to participate in the mission.  Read More: President Message News ICCC - IIT-Alumni Canada to work together       Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and IIT Alumni Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 2 November at the IIT Alumni Canada’s Annual Gala. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish the principles and the basis for increased cooperation between ICCC and IITAC with a view towards strengthening the strategic partnership for the purpose of maximizing the benefits from our mutual interests. The MoU was signed by Pramod Goyal, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, and Ashraf Ali, President of the IIT Alumni Canada. Surinder Sharma, Director, Membership Engagement, ICCC, who is also a senior member of IIT Alumni Canada was instrumental in bringing the two organisations together. Mr. Sharma, along with Tauseef Sheikh, Corporate Secretary, ICCC, and Satish Thakkar, Past President, ICCC, and National Convener, Canada India Foundation, were present on the occasion, along with Saifullah Khan, Commercial Consul, Consulate General of India in Toronto. The salient features of the collaboration include: Encourage members of both the organisations to take active membership and participation in the other organisation. ICCC and IITAC agree to apply member rates for members of each organisation should they wish to participate in any event organised by either organisations. Work cooperatively to identify and explore business and career opportunities between ICCC and IITAC members. Jointly work to identify and create bilateral economic, technical and business opportunities between Canada and India. Promote direct company to company linkages and promotions between ICCC and IITAC business members. Develop ways that companies can reduce risk of entering bilateral business relationships between India and Canadian markets or any territories like US. Be advocates to the Canadian Government on policies that hinder the development of business and technology linkages between Indian and Canadian companies. Be an effective forum for networking, exchanging ideas and information and advancing the interests of the ICCC and IITAC. Provide a business or career match-making service identifying opportunities to the benefit of respective ICCC and IITAC members and qualify potential collaborators. Access and offer market intelligence on business sectors, industries and companies to ICCC and IITAC members. Provide information on Canadian and Indian trade fairs, missions, seminars and other business-related events to ICCC and IITAC members. Work collaboratively with Government to address members’ needs and the trade and profession related barriers they encounter.  Photographs of the signing ceremony XXXXX         XXXXX                                                   Insight Canada and India collaboration in agriculture    By M J Khan Canada and India have enjoyed enduring bilateral relations founded upon shared traditions of democracy and diversity. Canada is home to over 1.2 million Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) who comprise more than 3% of its population. The highly educated, affluent and industrious PIOs, one of the largest immigrant groups in Canada are well integrated with the mainstream and active politically. Their presence has infused the traditions and culture of India into the social fabric of Canada. This has considerably aroused the interest of the Canadians in India’s culture and Cuisine. This has opened immense trade opportunities in agricultural and food sector between the two countries. In terms of agriculture and skilled personnel, India is a formidable presence in the world. The country has the largest arable land in the world and is the world's largest producer of milk, pulses and jute, and ranks as the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables, fruit and cotton. It is also one of the leading producers of spices, fish, poultry, livestock and plantation crops. Worth $ 2.1 trillion, India is the world's third largest economy after the US and China. India is the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Canada is also a giant in agriculture production. It is the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world. Canada produces about 75% of the world's maple syrup and is the world's largest exporter and one of the largest producers of flaxseed, canola, pulses, oats and durum wheat. Canada exports $56 billion a year in agriculture and agri-food products and approximately half of everything that is produced is exported as either primary commodities or processed food and beverage products. Canada is recognized as having one of the strongest food safety systems in the world.    Read More: Insight   India Mission 2020 5 to 14 January 2020 The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is cognizant of the significance of the Indian market to Canada. Growth of the Canadian economy depends on trade and commerce, so it is important for Canada to deepen its commercial relations with India because India will remain one of the fastest growing economies of the world for the foreseeable future, and Canada can contribute positively to India’s growth by providing it the technology and services to make India’s growth sustainable. As the largest representative of Indo-Canadian businesses, the ICCC unequivocally advocates for the Canadian government to enhance relations with India. While a lot has been achieved during the last five years, and especially during the Canadian Prime Minister’s India visit last year in which ICCC led the largest business delegation of over 65 entrepreneurs, trade between Canada and India stays around $8billion which is way below of the potential of both the economies. It is time to expand sectors of cooperation that have dominated trade between the countries and include new areas such as technology transfer in sunrise sectors where Canada can be of a great assistance to India. With the above in view, the ICCC is excited to lead a business delegation to India between January 5-14, 2020.  Read More: India Mission 2020  Events  Welcome reception for Consul General Apoorva Srivastava    ICCC Board Members presenting a print of Lauren Harris painting to Consul General Apoorva Srivastava Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organised a welcome reception in the honour of the new Consul General Apoorva Srivastava on 28 October 2019. The reception was attended by senior members of the Chamber, leading sponsors and stakeholders, along with the board of directors, and the advisory board members of the Chamber. Ms. Srivastava took charge as the Consul General of India in Toronto in August 2019, and since then has been active in her community outreach. She is a career diplomat, having joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2001. Prior to her Toronto posting, she worked with the Minister of External Affairs from January 2017 to August 2019. In her 18-year diplomatic career, she has served twice in the Indian Embassy in Paris, from August 2003 to October 2006 and again from August 2012 to July 2015, and in the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu from June 2009 to August 2012. She has also served as Under Secretary (SAARC) and as Director (Administration). The Consulate General of India in Toronto is an important stakeholder of ICCC and collaborates on different business initiatives to achieve common objective of promoting bilateral relations and advocating for the interests of the Indo-Canadians. Pramod Goyal, President, ICCC, while welcoming Ms. Srivastava said, “During the last few years, this collaboration has intensified. We are keen to continue building on that relationship and work on organizing trade shows, B2B meetings. We are also eager to involve the Consulate in our upcoming India Mission 2020 when we will be leading a trade delegation of Canadian small businesses to India.” Photographs of the event  Affinity Program Announcement  ICICI Bank's Exclusive Offer for ICCC Members   All members of the ICCC who open an account with ICICI Bank Canada will enjoy a host of benefits including NRI: NRI Referral Services. Money Transfers to India: No fees. Plus, get an extra 40 paise on top of our posted exchange rates. Credit Cards: Waiver of annual fee for the first year on our Rubyx credit card and earn cash back rewards of 2% on selected category (e.g. gas & grocery, entertainment etc.) Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs): Earn an extra 0.10% in addition to our posted interest rate for both Registered and Non-Registered GICs (including Non-redeemable and RSP/Tax-Free GICs). Mortgages: Enjoy our preferential interest rates. Safety Deposit Boxes: No annual fee for the first year.  Read More: Affinity Partners

ICCC - IIT-Alumni Canada to work together       Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and IIT Alumni Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 2 November at the IIT Alumni Canada’s Annual Gala. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish the principles and the basis for increased cooperation between ICCC and IITAC with a view towards strengthening the strategic partnership for the purpose of maximizing the benefits from our mutual interests. The MoU was signed by Pramod Goyal, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, and Ashraf Ali, President of the IIT Alumni Canada. Surinder Sharma, Director, Membership Engagement, ICCC, who is also a senior member of IIT Alumni Canada was instrumental in bringing the two organisations together. Mr. Sharma, along with Tauseef Sheikh, Corporate Secretary, ICCC, and Satish Thakkar, Past President, ICCC, and National Convener, Canada India Foundation, were present on the occasion, along with Saifullah Khan, Commercial Consul, Consulate General of India in Toronto. The salient features of the collaboration include: Encourage members of both the organisations to take active membership and participation in the other organisation. ICCC and IITAC agree to apply member rates for members of each organisation should they wish to participate in any event organised by either organisations. Work cooperatively to identify and explore business and career opportunities between ICCC and IITAC members. Jointly work to identify and create bilateral economic, technical and business opportunities between Canada and India. Promote direct company to company linkages and promotions between ICCC and IITAC business members. Develop ways that companies can reduce risk of entering bilateral business relationships between India and Canadian markets or any territories like US. Be advocates to the Canadian Government on policies that hinder the development of business and technology linkages between Indian and Canadian companies. Be an effective forum for networking, exchanging ideas and information and advancing the interests of the ICCC and IITAC. Provide a business or career match-making service identifying opportunities to the benefit of respective ICCC and IITAC members and qualify potential collaborators. Access and offer market intelligence on business sectors, industries and companies to ICCC and IITAC members. Provide information on Canadian and Indian trade fairs, missions, seminars and other business-related events to ICCC and IITAC members. Work collaboratively with Government to address members’ needs and the trade and profession related barriers they encounter.

Photographs of the signing ceremony

XXXXX         XXXXX

Welcome reception for Consul General Apoorva Srivastava    ICCC Board Members presenting a print of Lauren Harris painting to Consul General Apoorva Srivastava Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organised a welcome reception in the honour of the new Consul General Apoorva Srivastava on 28 October 2019. The reception was attended by senior members of the Chamber, leading sponsors and stakeholders, along with the board of directors, and the advisory board members of the Chamber. Ms. Srivastava took charge as the Consul General of India in Toronto in August 2019, and since then has been active in her community outreach. She is a career diplomat, having joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2001. Prior to her Toronto posting, she worked with the Minister of External Affairs from January 2017 to August 2019. In her 18-year diplomatic career, she has served twice in the Indian Embassy in Paris, from August 2003 to October 2006 and again from August 2012 to July 2015, and in the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu from June 2009 to August 2012. She has also served as Under Secretary (SAARC) and as Director (Administration). The Consulate General of India in Toronto is an important stakeholder of ICCC and collaborates on different business initiatives to achieve common objective of promoting bilateral relations and advocating for the interests of the Indo-Canadians. Pramod Goyal, President, ICCC, while welcoming Ms. Srivastava said, “During the last few years, this collaboration has intensified. We are keen to continue building on that relationship and work on organizing trade shows, B2B meetings. We are also eager to involve the Consulate in our upcoming India Mission 2020 when we will be leading a trade delegation of Canadian small businesses to India.”

Photographs of the event