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Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organized a roundtable discussion for the benefit of the visiting delegation of India’s empowered committee on taxation Thursday, September 13 with experts and decision makers in the field of public finance and taxation. The committee was in Canada mid-September to study and understand the Canadian experience in implementing the goods and services tax.

Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, led the delegation that included finance and taxation ministers from eight states and officers from 15 states. Among the ministers were Dr. A.K. Walia, Delhi’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Revenue, Urban Development and Irrigation and Flood Control; Kiran Choudhry, Haryana’s Minister of Excise and Taxation; A.R. Rather, Jammu & Kashmir’s Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs; Raghavji, Madhya Pradesh’s Minister for Finance & Commercial Tax; Pu Zodintluanga, Mizoram’s Minister for Taxation; Prasanna Acharya, Odisha’s Minister for Finance & Public Enterprises; and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Punjab’s Minister for Finance.

The Canadian representation at the roundtable was by John Wilkinson, Former Ontario minister for Revenue; Brian Wurts, Harmonized Sales Tax Consultant; David Peterson, Partner, Ernst & Young; Mary Ann McMahon, Senior Manager, Ernst & Young; and Raj Saxena, Senior Manager, Ernst & Young.

In 2000, the Indian Ministry of Finance constituted the empowered committee of state finance ministers for introducing reforms in state level taxes. The committee was in Canada because India shares the same model of government with Canada. The committee’s main agenda in Canada was to study the complexity of inter-state trade, the mechanism for taxing it and also to study the implementation of GST. In addition it wanted to understand the GST model followed in Canada with various intricacies that were involved in its implementation.

Addressing the roundtable, Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, emphasised that tax reforms are a perennial necessity in any economy. “Over time, business processes evolve, and tax instruments have to stay in consonance with these changes,” he said. Bajaj said the Ontario experience of moving over to harmonized sales tax had found support from the business community because it eliminated the cascading input taxes, and minimized duplicate compliance burden for federal and provincial taxes.

Preeti Saran, Consul General of India in Toronto, also spoke on the occasion.

The interaction between the Indian delegation and the Canadian experts touched upon several aspects of the Canadian experience, with the experts’ panel providing a historical perspective and delineating the issues that had to be resolved both by the federal government and the provinces before implementing tax reforms.

Among the topics covered included the formation of the Canada Revenue Agency, a federal entity outside the government; the structure of revenue sharing; the process of interprovincial raising of taxes; the benefits of a simplified ‘one-tax’ regime for businesses; the political sensitivity over the ushering in of new tax reforms among the constituents; and several related issues.

The Indian delegation expressed satisfaction over the interaction because the experts’ panel was able to address many of the issues that they had check-listed for the discussion. Following the roundtable, several ministers from India continued with the discussion with the panelists.

ICCC board with Sushil Kumar Modi

(l to r): Mike Mehta, Tony Chawla, Naval Bajaj, Jagdish Bajaj, Sanjay Makkar, DP Jain

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) organized a business reception and dinner for an Indian empowered committee on taxation Thursday, September 13. The committee was in Canada mid-September to study and understand the Canadian experience in implementing the goods and services tax.

Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, led the delegation that included finance and taxation ministers from eight states officials from 15. Speaking on the occasion, Modi said the committee wants to understand Canadian experience in the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Modi said introducing tax reforms in India while essential is fraught with many issues that need a careful examination. Understanding Canada’s experiences in this context, when it introduced the GST, and Ontario’s experiences during the introduction of the Harmonised Sales Tax (HST) would be important for India.

The delegation comprised ministers from eight Indian states responsible for finance and taxation and included Dr. A.K. Walia, Delhi’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Revenue, Urban Development and Irrigation and Flood Control; Kiran Choudhry, Haryana’s Minister of Excise and Taxation; A.R. Rather, Jammu & Kashmir’s Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs; Raghavji, Madhya Pradesh’s Minister for Finance & Commercial Tax; Pu Zodintluanga, Mizoram’s Minister for Taxation; Prasanna Acharya, Odisha’s Minister for Finance & Public Enterprises; and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Punjab’s Minister for Finance.

In addition, officers responsible for taxation and finance from 15 states were also part of the delegation.

Harinder Takhar, Ontario’s Minister for Government Services; Bal Gosal, Canada’s Minister for State for Sports, Dr. Asha Seth, Senator, Senate of Canada, represented the Canadian side at the reception. Minister Takhar was officially representing Ontario’s Premier Dalton McGuinty at the reception.

Over 200 guests including taxation and public finance experts such as John Wilkinson, former Minister of Revenue in Ontario; Bruce Wurts, tax consultant; and David Peterson, Partner, Ernst & Young.

Speaking on the occasion, Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, said that it is significant that such a large delegation of Indian decision makers have come to Canada to understand the feasibility of implementing tax reforms in India.

“For us at the Chamber, this is evidence – and none is required – of the growing closeness between Canada and India. The scope of the bilateral relations has only just begun to unfold, and has validated our Chamber’s unstinted efforts over the past three-and-a-half decades to enhance Canada-India ties,” he observed.  

About the purpose of the delegation’s visit, Bajaj said that while tax reforms are an essential requirement in any economy, it is important that such reforms are introduced after due consultations and after assessing the requirements and the needs of the people likely to be affected by the reforms. “Tax reforms should be offered as a solution,” he emphasized.

He informed the gathering that the ICCC had organised several workshops a couple of years ago during Ontario’s transition to the harmonised sales tax where our members provided crucial inputs to the planned changes.

            Speaking on the occasion, Minister Takhar said that Ontario’s experience in implementing the HST was good and it had helped revive the economy because the Ontario government had adopted a consensual approach while introducing the reform.

            Minister Gosal, during his address, emphasized the growing closeness between Canada and India and said that the sixth round of the negotiations on the free trade agreement was scheduled to commence soon, and good progress had been made during the last five rounds.

Preeti Saran, Consul General of India in Toronto, lauded the ICCC for role in fostering bilateral ties between Canada and India. Dr. Asha Seth, Senator of the Senate of Canada, welcomed the delegation.

The bilateral relations between Canada and India are on an upward trajectory and will continue to improve rapidly, His Excellency S. M. Gavai, the High Commissioner of India to Canada, said Sunday at a farewell reception given in his honour by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in Mississauga Sunday, August 12. Rina Gavai, the High Commissioner's wife, accompained him to the luncheon.

Gavai lauded the work ICCC has been doing in the Canada-India space and said that the Chamber had done a tremendous job organising the regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Toronto in June 2011. He added that the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award that the Chamber got from the Government of India in 2012 was a true reflection of the Chamber’s contribution to Canada-India bilateral sphere.

In a special message on the occasion, Hon. Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, said, “The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce has played a significant part in building strong cultural and economic relations between Canada and India and has promoted many important trade agreements between our two nations, in addition to fostering remarkable people-to-people ties. The fine efforts of the Chamber of Commerce have paved the way for many more years of cooperation and historical business ventures between our countries. In light of our strong ties with India and the important role that the Indian foreign service plays in fostering such ties, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce is honoring Mr. Gavai, who has worked to further strengthen Canada’s friendship with India and has advanced Indian culture within Canada’s multicultural mosaic.”

Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, along with three past presidents – Asha Luthra, Vinay Nagpal and Satish Thakkar – presented S. M. Gavai with a memento that acknowledged his fine contribution to fostering Canada-India bilateral relations.

Several dignitaries attended the luncheon; among them were Senators Asha Seth and Consiglio di Nino, former Senator Vim Kochar, Members of Parliament Patrick Brown and Joe Daniel, Member of the Provincial Parliament Deepika Damerala. Representatives of Indian diaspora and business organisations such as the Canada-India Foundation, Panorama India, IIT-Alumni Canada, Rajasthan Association of North America (Canada), and AWIC, were also present at event.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of the 4th round of its mentorship program.

This three-month long program was launched in May 2010.

The main objectives of this program are to connect internationally trained Indo-Canadian newcomers with successful Indo-Canadian professionals for the purposes of helping to build useful networks, tips and tricks to guide mentees to achieving their career goals in Canada.

The preceding three sessions have met its objectives.

We are currently seeking Mentors and Mentees for the next session.

The mentors will be drawn from the pool of professional talent available within the Chamber’s membership. If you are not a member, please become a member.

Objectives of the program

• To help new skilled newcomers by matching them with a mentor with similar background
• To assist them with developing their professional networks and with making educated career decisions
• To increase understanding of Canadian workplace culture and the reality of transferring professional designations
• To strengthen the knowledge of community resources and linkages to settlement services, skill 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

MENTOR (click here)

MENTEE (click here)

Please note the deadline for submissions is July 31st, 2012.

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, email us today 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

ICCC's 14th Annual Charity Golf Classic
Sheikh Tauseef receiving the trophy from ICCC President Naval Bajaj		Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce's 14th Annual Charity Golf Classic was an overwhelming success with over 140 enthusiastic amateur golfers having a great time. Monday, July 23, turned out to be a perfect day for golf, and the Country Club in Woodbridge, a perfect venue. The Chamber organises the golf tourney to support registered charities. A part of the proceeds from this year’s tourney will go to the Healthy Kids International (HKI). The institution raises funds to support international projects of the Hospital for Sick Children. Additionally, the event also generated more resources for the charity through the sale of raffle tickets and a silent auction of sports memorabilia. The golfers – an eclectic combination of the Chamber’s long-time and new members, and guests – began arriving mid-morning. After collecting the registration gifts they were treated to sumptuous culinary delights specially prepared by the expert chefs of The Host. The tournament started around noon with a shotgun start – scramble format.
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Participants enjoyed a perfect day of golf
The team comprising Harry Mann, Alfie Nathoo, Peter Muto and Sheikh Tauseef won the tournament. Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, presented them with a trophy. Addressing the golfers at the cocktail reception, Naval emphasised that “Continuity with change is an appealing slogan and I have made it the mission of my tenure as the President of the Chamber. That is possible by doing different things and by doing the same things differently.” Naval emphasised that it is only through member engagement that the Chamber will thrive, and encouraged those present at the Golf event to participate with as much enthusiasm in the Chamber's upcoming events.
From Left to Right: Past Presidents Satish Thakkar, Ajit Someshwar, Pradeep Sood, Ajit Khanna, with incumbent President Naval Bajaj and Anil Shah, former Chair ICCC's Golf Commiuttee

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) will organise an India Mission 2013 to coincide with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to be held in Cochin in next January.

Announcing this, Naval Bajaj the President of the ICCC said the Chamber would lead a multi-city trade mission comprising small and medium businesses and would include participation in the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 convention. Bajaj was addressing a high-powered delegation from Gujarat led by the state’s Principal Secretary D. J. Pandian. 

The business reception witnessed enthusiastic participation by over 150 guests from different business sectors. Preeti Saran, Consul General of India in Toronto; His Worship Frank Scarpitti, the Mayor of Markham; and Hon. Asha Seth, Senator, Senate of Canada, Hon. Joe Daniel, Member of Parliament; and councillors from Markham were among the several distinguished dignitaries present at the reception.

During his interaction, Gujarat’s Pandian emphasised the robustness of Gujarat’s economic development. He said the state provides ample bilateral opportunities for business, trade and investments in different spheres. The Principal Secretary said Canada is the partner country for next year’s Vibrant Gujarat convention.

Consul General Preeti Saran in her remarks lauded the Chamber for successfully bringing together the entrepreneurial Indian diaspora together on one platform, with PBD Canada2011 being an illustrative example of this new thrust. She said that Gujarat’s all round development has opened up new avenues for business which would grow exponentially after Canada and India signed the comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

His Worship Frank Scarpitti, the Mayor of Markham, congratulated the ICCC for organising the business reception. He applauded the efforts of Indian Government for organising the ‘Year of India in Canada’ in 2011, in which the PBD Canada2011 was a major success. Markham collaborated with ICCC on the four-city India Mission 2012, and would be doing so for Vibrant Gujarat in 2013.

Senator Ms. Asha Seth welcomed the delegation and said that there is a vast scope of collaboration between Canada and India in the areas of energy, pharmaceuticals, innovation and research.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce held Thursday June 28, 2012, in Toronto, Mr. Naval Bajaj was elected the 25th President of the Chamber. He has been associated with the Chamber for the last three years, initially as a director and then as the Vice President.

Speaking about his priorities as the new President, Naval said, “Our Chamber is both a business organisation and a Diaspora organisation, and we will continue to stay focussed on our mandate of fostering Canada-India bilateral economic relations and promoting the interests of the Indian Diaspora in Canada.”

Elaborating on his core priorities, Naval explained that the two developments that have determined the course for the Chamber are of the growing bilateral economic cooperation between Canada and India and the steadily growing population of the Indo-Canadian Diaspora.

“We have evolved a grassroots approach to build our membership, and we will continue on the same path,” Naval said, and emphasised that the Chamber’s councils in Alberta, British Council, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and one in Ottawa would be revitalised to augment the councils’ membership.

Referring to the discussions that emerged during the annual general meeting, the new President observed that the process initiated by the previous board on issues of governance and the utilisation of the building corpus will lead to clear directives on both these issues that are important to the members.

“As the new President, I’ll work hard to meet the expectations of our members on these matters.”

Naval Bajaj is a Certified Business Consultant with 7-Eleven Canada where he is involved in strategic and financial planning. He holds a Master of Engineering, Master of Business Administration and Bachelors of Law degrees. Naval has held a number of leadership positions at IIM, SSM, Management Association of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce.

Over 1200 people converged in full force on June 9 to celebrate the ‘Best of the Best’ as The Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce held its annual Awards and Gala Night at The Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Downtown Toronto. This premiere social and business event’s theme this year was ‘Engaging Partners, Implementing Strategies’.

The Awards Gala hosted a number of Canada’s influencers who enjoyed a mix of dinner and entertainment, award presentations and speeches. 

Honorable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister for Natural Resources was the Chief Guest for the evening.

Phaneesh Murthy, President and CEO of iGate was the keynote speaker. ICCC President Satish Thakkar talked about ICCC’s efforts over the past 35 years to create a better understanding between Canada and India.

“The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) has worked hard with dedication and strived to create a better understanding of India in Canada and Canada in India, provided unstinted support to India’s causes and concerns in a tangible way, and built close links between India and the Indian Diaspora, and Canada,” said Mr. Thakkar. He has been heading the Chamber for the past year.

“Today, we are the largest and fastest growing bilateral Indo-Canadian organisation in Canada. Both the Canadian and the Indian establishments depend upon our Chamber to be a key facilitator in fostering economic relations. Zeal and enthusiasm are two words that aptly describe our Chamber’s approach during its three-and-a-half decade’s journey from nebulous and tentative beginnings in 1977 to its present august status,” said Mr. Thakkar.

The event recognised prominent Indo-Canadian achievers from across the country in several categories through the evening. These included:

• Female Entrepreneur: Pravina Budhdev, CEO Huntington Travel Group of Companies

• Male Entrepreneur: Harpreet Sethi, CEO, The Grand Victorian Convention Centre and Radisson Plaza in Mississauga                      

• Female Professional: Dr. Madhur Anand, Director of Global Ecological Change Laboratory

• Male Professional: Sunit Radia, William Procter Sales Master, Market Strategy & Planning, Procter & Gamble Inc                              

• Young Achiever: Akash Sahney, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, My Voice

• Technology Achievement: Suneet Singh Tuli and Raja Singh Tuli ofData Wind Ltd                              

• Corporate Executive of the Year: Sriram Iyer, President and CEO, ICICI Bank

• Humanitarian of the Year: Chandrakant Sachdev, President, Rainbow Capital Properties Inc                        

• Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement award: Dr. Pawan Singal, Professor of Physiology and Director of Cardiovascular Studies at St. Boniface Hospital and the Universityof Manitoba, Winnipeg

• President's Award: Preeti Saran, Consul General of India in Toronto        
  

• Member of the Year: Kasi Rao, Senior Advisor, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce

SATISH THAKKAR

Special to Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) and the Town of Markham, Ont., led a trade mission to India and the UAE in January, providing a unique opportunity for delegates to explore emerging markets and, in some cases, clinch deals.

 

More than 60 small and medium-sized Canadian businesses visited Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Pune in India, and Dubai in the UAE.

The SMBs included companies from such diverse sectors as food processing, hospitality, travel and tourism, construction and development, information technology, and business-service industries. In India, SMBs account for 20 per cent of the country’s GDP, 65 million jobs and 45 per cent of manufacturing and exports. In Canada, the sector contributes 45 per cent of GDP, 75 per cent of employment growth, and 60 per cent of all jobs.

The United States and Mexico capture the bulk of SMB exports from Canada, but companies are steadily expanding into the European Union, Japan, and South America.

The ICCC has been promoting the role of SMBs in bilateral economic relations between Canada and India. The 35-year-old, Toronto-based institution has a coast-to-coast presence in Canada and it is the largest organization with Canadians of Indian origin or descent.

Indo-Canadians have traditionally exhibited a higher-than-average propensity toward their own businesses, in part to overcome a lack of Canadian experience when attempting to get a job. Several factors help steer this process, and ICCC has consistently championed their cause.

Given SMBs have limited resources for overseas market research, ICCC is committed to assisting with networking and providing substantive insights into the Indian market. The ICCC also organizes more than 70 annual events across Canada that focus on business opportunities for its members. The events include site visits and hard-hat tours to expose members to real-world examples of different processes.

During the January trade mission, the ICCC connected Canadian delegates with Indian economic organizations that have significant representation in the SMB sector and an increasing interest in Canada, including the Canada committee of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

Delegates also benefitted from the interactive sessions with senior government officials who are directly involved with the continuing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The ICCC believes these connections are crucial for the expansion of Canadian SMBs into the Indian market.

According to Katie Macmillan’s report, Canadian SMEs and Globalization - Success Factors and Challenges, which was published by the Conference Board of Canada in 2008, “the best performing foreign exporters are often headed by owner-managers with an international background.” She suggests governments in Canada should encourage “born global” SMBs.

This is an accurate assessment. The ICCC consistently encourages its members to expand operations into emerging markets such as India, and advocated for a stronger role for SMBs in fostering bilateral relations between Canada and India.

The ICCC believes that SMBs with an international perspective tend to be more competitive and have a better chance of success in the long run. Global competitiveness leads to innovation, and it helps SMBs perform better on a local level as well.

Special to The Global and Mail

Satish Thakkar is the president of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/going-global/sixty-companies-join-trade-mission-to-india/article2338312/