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ICCC-YP November networking

Part of ICCC - Diageo Canada series on building business and professional networks among young professionals

On November 19th, 2013, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s the Young Professional’s (YP) Committee hosted their monthly networking session.

The monthly networking is an opportunity for new and old members of ICCC to network in a casual setting. It is also an opportunity for non-members to come by and whet their appetite about YP and ICCC.

This event also allows attendees to get a feel for the YP committee, and learn about the opportunities they stand to gain from a membership with ICCC.

In converse, this also provides an opportunity for the YP committee to speak about their future events and gage audience needs so that future events can be customized to serve their members as much as possible.

This month’s event was held at P.J. O’Brien’s, a long standing establishment located in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. This pub always has a welcoming atmosphere with good food and drinks.

The YP committee welcomed approximately thirty-five attendees throughout the evening. Incidentally, the pub was also hosting an event with the British-Canada Chamber of Commerce and this provided ICCC members the opportunity to not only network internally, but externally with other organizations as well.

The evening ended with all attendees enjoying themselves, while walking away with new contacts and possible future partnerships. This serves the very reason for hosting the YP monthly social nights.

We hope to see you next month!

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

ICCC organizes B2B meetings for FICCI delegation

Brij Sharma, ICCC's Director for Trade, SME & Sponsorship addressing the FICCI delegation

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organised 20 business to business (B2B) meetings for a visiting small and medium businesses delegation led by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), a premier business organization of Indian businesses.

The FICCI delegation is on a week-long business visit to Canada and was in Greater Toronto Area on November 18 and 19, 2013. The delegation comprised 20 companies in agriculture and agri-food, renewable energy, power & waste management, steel, pharmaceutical and R&D, biotech, life science, IT and used machinery sector.

The B2B meetings were held on November 18. The delegates explored the possibilities of investment, joint ventures, joint R&D projects for developing new technologies, import of Canadian technologies and finished products, possible partners and establishing manufacturing units jointly in both the countries.

Speaking on the occasion Brij K Sharma, ICCC’s Director for Trade and SME, said that the visit of the delegation would help foster bilateral trade ties between Canada and India, and open up new avenues in future. Sandip Samaddar, Deputy Director, FICCI, who accompanied the delegation, was enthusiastic with the response of the Canadian businesses during the B2B meetings and their commitment to establish trade ties with visiting Indian companies.

On November 19, the delegation visited the Economic Development Department, City of Brampton, where Susan Fennell, Mayor of Brampton, and Sohail Saeed, Director, Economic Development, Brampton, gave an overview of Brampton’s advantages as an investment destination.

Extolling the virtues of Brampton, Mayor Fennell said Brampton is one of the leading debt free cities in the sector for promoting the business. The city abounds in land, resources and is connected with the international airport and other cities with world class highways.

Naval Bajaj, President ICCC, welcomed the delegation and said that the City of Brampton also visited India in the India Mission 2013 to explore the possibilities of attracting investment and developing ties with the Indian business leaders.

The delegation subsequently participated in The Changing Economic Landscapes Forum meeting at Rogers Communications. Later in the afternoon, the delegates had a roundtable discussion with the International Trade Committee of the Brampton Board of Trade.

The delegation will visit Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver in the coming days to explore more possibilities in the Canadian market.

13th National Diwali Celebration

Prime Minister Stephen Harper lights the traditional Diwali lamp with Deepak Obhrai

Prime Minister Right Hon. Stephen Harper lighted the traditional Diwali lamp Saturday November 9 at the International Centre in Mississauga while participating in the 13^th Annual National Diwali celebrations organized by Hon. Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Human Rights.

The 13^th Annual National Diwali celebrations were held in the Greater Toronto Area for the first time. Till last year, Hon. Obhrai had organized the celebrations in Ottawa. The event saw enthusiastic participation from Indo-Canadians in the GTA. Prior to the speeches by the dignitaries, the audience was entertained by dancers who performed traditional dances from India.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce was one of the sponsors of the event.

Lauding the contributions of the Indo-Canadian community to the fabric of Canadian society, Prime Minister Harper said, “Our Indo-Canadian community, men and women, who, through their ingenuity, hard work and entrepreneurship are contributing to Canada’s prosperity. Men and women, who, through their commitment to family, faith and community, are helping to build a better Canada, men and women just like you.”

He added, “This Diwali season, let us be thankful, first and foremost, for the health and safety of our families. Let us also be thankful for the opportunity to call this country, our Canada, home. A country where all citizens enjoy equality of opportunity, a country unwavering in its commitment to freedom, democracy, and justice, a country that is a model of peace, pluralism and prosperity.”

To thunderous applause, the Prime Minister, emphasized, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your country, this is my country, a country of which we can all be very proud, a country to which you are making a tremendous contribution.”

In his address, Hon. Deepak Obhrai, said, “Events like these make Canada the greatest country in the world. Diwali is truly a national Canadian celebration. We have 5,000 people here from the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary and more than 40 community, religious, and media outlets, who have come together as the sponsors of the 13th National Diwali Celebration. Together, they represent the best of multicultural Canada, where people from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds harmoniously co-exist in this great land, joyfully sharing their history and heritage with others.”

Echoing the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister and Hon. Obhrai, Naval Bajaj, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), during his address said, “Today, Canadians of Indian origin are helping shape the destiny of Canada in so many different ways.

“Indo-Canadians are second to none in helping build a new Canada – a Canada that is multicultural, a Canada that has a place for everyone, a Canada that respects and nurtures all ethnic identities. I am sure everyone present here will agree with me that we are proud to be citizens of a country that respects us for who we are and encourages us to participate in every facet of Canadian life without expecting us to abandon our roots.

The ICCC President also said, “Today’s celebration in the presence of Honourable Prime Minister Harper is appropriate because he epitomizes renewal of the Canada-India relations like no other leader in Canada’s recent history. What the Prime Minister has achieved in a few years in improving Canada-India relations, hadn’t been achieved in the last few decades.”

An injury can happen at any time and to anyone, whether it’s at home, at school or at the workplace. Many times, it is the more harmless actions that one doesn’t think twice about that could lead to some of the most serious injuries.

This is why organizations such as the St. John Ambulance, Peel, work hard to both inform about and promote occupational health and safety in communities across the region.

On October 3rd, 2013 Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with St. John Ambulance, Peel, and the CCOHS and the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, hosted an interactive, free seminar in Mississauga to educate community members about health and safety requirements for businesses in Ontario.

Up-to-date with changing regulations, well-known and educated figures such as Steve Mahoney (President, Radiation Safety Institute of Canada) and Steve Horvath (President, CCOHS) spoke at the seminar to communicate:

• What measures should be taken to ensure safety in the workplace
• How to identify various workplace injuries
• What measures should be taken if a workplace related injury were to occur

This is what they had to say:

Steve Mahoney: “It’s not about blame, it’s about responsibility. There is no excuse for occupational injuries. The key is prevention: preventing the wrong use of nuclear devices in the workplace through proper training. If you’re a CEO, think about safety and about prevention. SO your employees can go home safe every night.”

William Sterritt: “Don’t be complacent and don’t be afraid. You can’t be afraid of everything. Be proactive. Safety is a behavior and safety should be part of your life every single day.”Today’s program is also aimed at our small business members

Speaking on the occasion, Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, said, “I am a small business owner, and as a small business owners, we have little choice but to do everything that is required to be done to firstly to survive, then to grow and finally to prosper. Sacrifice and change are the two constants in a small business. We can sacrifice as much as we can on most aspects of our business, there is one aspect that we cannot and should not compromise at all. And that is health and safety.

Expanding on this theme, Naval emphasized, “Awareness about Health and Safety is a must for everyone who works in any capacity. In our province of Ontario it is also a legal requirement. Your workplace should meet with the health and safety regulations that taken into account issues such as a health and safety policy, fire safety plan, first aid, use and management of hazardous substance on the business premise. I must add here that we need to look at the stipulations of the regulation not merely from a compliance angle, but also because adhering to these provisions make for eminent business sense.”

Objectives of the program

• Help skilled newcomers by matching them with a mentor with a similar background
• Assist them with developing their professional networks and making educated career decisions
• Increase their understanding of Canadian workplace culture and the reality of transferring professional designations
• Strengthen the knowledge of community resources and linkages to settlement services, skills development, job search resources, language and literacy programming among other services

Advantages of the program

Mentee Benefits

• Increased self-knowledge and awareness
• Obtain strategic tools for ongoing career development and success
• Enhance communication skills
• Develop professional etiquette
• Identify talents needed in the Canadian workplace
• Build their network for work and career success
• Become employed in their field of expertise

Mentor Benefits

• Increased self-knowledge and self-awareness
• Optimize coaching and mentoring skills
• Build leadership excellence
• Dialogue with and learn from the experiences of internationally trained people
• Share knowledge and wisdom and explore new ideas and perspectives
• Learn about and contribute to the community
• Recognition from ICCC

Action plan

• If you are a newcomer to Canada or a seasoned Canadian professional, we encourage you to be a part of this program.
• If you are interested in the mentoring program either as a mentor or mentee please follow the links to fill out the appropriate form as well as kindly email your resume to mentoring@iccc.org

Mentee Application Form (Mentee Application Form.pdf)

 Mentor Application Form (Mentor Application Form.pdf)

Please note that the deadline for submissions is Sept 30th, 2013.

For further information please contact:

SPONSORSHIP - If you are interested in sponsoring this ICCC initiative, please email us at iccc@iccc.org

VOLUNTEERING - If you want to join the New Immigrants Committee to assist with this program, please email us at mentoring@iccc.org

For any other inquires, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Pawan Chankotra (Mentoring Program Coordinator) at mentoring@iccc.org or 416-224-0090 x 545