The relations between India and Canada will be further strengthened with the proposed visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India later this year, announced India’s High Commissioner-designate Vikas Swarup. The visit assumes significance due to presence of large number of people of Indian origin in Canada.
“We expect the Canadian Prime Minister to visit India sometime later this year," said Swarup, who earlier served as the spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry on the occasion of his farewell party.
The number of people of Indian origin in Canada is very high. There are about 1.3 million people of Indian diaspora in Canada out of the total population of 35 million.
They have also been given representation in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as 4 members of Sikh Canadian community have been included in the Cabinet.
Interestingly, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Canada in April 2015 during which a new chapter was written in the bilateral relations of the two countries. India inked a multi-million-dollar deal for uranium to power its civilian nuclear programme for five years and also signed 13 agreements, following talks with then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Canada had agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to energy-hungry India under a USD 254 million five-year deal to power Indian reactors. The agreement for uranium supply came two years after protracted negotiations following the 2013 civil nuclear deal between India and Canada.
Justin Trudeau, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, assumed office in November 2015.