Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that he will travel to India for a five-day state visit from February 17 to 23.
“Canada and India share a special bond and are linked by tremendous people-to-people connections. The more than one million Canadians of Indian origin make the relationship between our two countries a truly special one. I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and further strengthening the Canada-India friendship,” Trudeau said in a release.
“Our two countries share much in common, including an commitment to diversity, democracy, freedom, and the rule of law,” he added.
Trudeau unveiled plans to connect with Indian government and financial leaders, promote the empowerment of women and girls, and strengthen Canada and India’s close economic ties during his visit. His itinerary includes stops in Agra, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
Trudeau will also participate in several business roundtables to promote further trade and investment between Canada and India, to advance closer economic cooperation between the two countries.
Trudeau is set to visit several landmarks, including the Taj Mahal, Sri Harmandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple), the Jama Masjid, and Swaminarayan Akshardham. His visit highlights the growing involvement of the Indian diaspora in Canada, with a growing segment of Indian-origin representatives and Trudeau’s likely opponent in the next election, New Democratic Party chief Jagmeet Singh, being of Sikh-origin.