PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS CELEBRATIONS
Theme
Canada and India: Opportunities & Challenges
Inaugural Session (09:30am — 10:00am EST)
Hon. Anita Anand Minister of National Defence, Canada
H.E. Ajay Bisaria, High Commissioner of India to Canada
Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General of India in Toronto
Panel — 1 (10:00am — 11:30am EST)
Stronger Canada India engagement to Speed Up Economic Recovery
Moderator
Stewart Beck, Former Canadian High Commissioner in India
Panelists
Sara Wilshaw, Chief Trade Commissioner, Government of Canada
Gary Comerford, Board Member at Novelis, Canada
Vijendra Gairola, Executive Chairman, Induscann Biogrowth, India
Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Founder & CEO, Startup Réseau
Panel — 2 (11:40am — 01:00pm EST)
Deepening Ties: Role of Diaspora
Moderator
Yudhvir Jaswal, CEO Ymedia Group
Panelists
Prasad Panda, Minister of Infrastructure, Alberta
Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business & Red Tape Reduction
Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament
Webinar Details:
Tuesday 11 January 2022
Time: 09:30am to 01:00pm EST
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Global Indian Diaspora Day), is an event celebrated annually to mark and pay tribute to the contributions of twenty-five million people of Indian origin, spread across the world, including the 1.9 million Indo Canadians who have made Canada home. Starting in 2003, January 9th has been the officially designated date for the celebration, which is the day when Mahatma Gandhi arrived back on the Indian shores from South Africa after his historic struggles against apartheid in that country in 1915. Canada India Foundation will be marking this important event with a webinar on January 11, 2022, to explore ways and means to strengthen and maximize the great potential inherent in a friendly and mutually rewarding bilateral engagement between Canada and India.
Canada and India are two economies at different stages of growth and development today. And yet, the avenues for cooperation are plenty. India today is open for business, investment, and trade as it has never been in its history. Canada has always been a great trading nation throughout its history. As a developed country, Canada’s strengths are in multiple areas — food and food processing, defense manufacturing, aerospace, energy sector, alternate energy technologies, digitalization, tourism, etc. India, on the other hand, is set on an economic path that most commentators say, will make it the third-largest economy in the world by 2035. As it sets a searing pace for its economic recovery, India will need a whole gamut of resources, investment, cutting edge technology, and all kinds of goods to satisfy its growing middle class, currently estimated at 350 million.
Despite the clear advantages that both countries can derive from a deeper economic engagement, Canada and India's relationship is performing below potential, especially in the bilateral trade that has registered an extremely slow rate of growth. A frank and in-depth discussion by domain experts has the potential to bring out the challenges that limit the bilateral engagement currently, and forecast obstacles that might crop up in the future.
Speakers from both sides have an opportunity to express their views and offer insights and suggest solutions for the issues that are holding up a full and vigorous engagement between Canada and India.
