Minister Chagger concludes successful visit to India
MUMBAI, India, March 31, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, today concluded her successful visit to India. During her trip, the Minister travelled to New Delhi and Mumbai, where she met with senior Indian leaders from both the government and the private sector. Throughout her trip, she pointed to the strong cultural ties between Canada and India as a foundation on which to build a closer investment relationship and noted that Canadian entrepreneurs and small businesses are the drivers of innovation and key partners for these closer ties. The Minister also promoted Canada as a world-leading tourism destination, especially as the country celebrates the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
While in Mumbai, Minister Chagger met with Devendra Fadnavis, India's Chief Minister, State of Maharashtra. She also joined the Chief Minister for the inauguration of a new solar panel installation at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. This installation is Mumbai's largest and was built by Guelph-based clean energy firm Canadian Solar.
Senior executives from YES BANK, CuroCarte and Rolta India Limited all expressed potential interest in expanding to Canada following productive meetings with Minister Chagger.
Minister Chagger also led a panel discussion on women's entrepreneurship hosted by empoWer – India's first accelerator for women entrepreneurs building tech ventures – where she promoted Canada as a destination of choice for women entrepreneurs looking at entering the North American market. The Minister also delivered a keynote address at a luncheon hosted by TiE Mumbai, a local branch of the world's largest entrepreneurship network, where she encouraged entrepreneurs to consider start-up investment opportunities in Canada.
During meetings with representatives of the Indian film industry, Minister Chagger encouraged greater collaboration with Canada's world-renowned film industry. The Minister invited them to visit Canada for the International Film Festival of South Asia, North America's largest South Asian film festival, taking place from May 11 to 22 in Toronto.
Quote
"The Canada-India relationship is a top priority for our government. There are more than one million Canadians of Indian heritage, and the deep ties that bind Canada and India offer tremendous potential for building and strengthening our commercial relationship. Meeting with leaders from both the Indian government and the private sector has allowed me to promote investment in our Canadian small businesses and encourage greater growth and export opportunities for our Canadian entrepreneurs."
– The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Quick facts
- India is one of Destination Canada's 10 key overseas markets, with more than 215,000 visitors to Canada in 2016.
- Starting July 1, 2017, which is also the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Air Canada is offering non-stop flights from Mumbai to Toronto three times a week.
- Two-way merchandise trade between Canada and India was worth almost $8 billion in 2016.
- More than 400 Canadian companies have a presence in India, and more than 1,000 companies are actively pursuing business in the market.
Associated link
Follow Minister Chagger on social media.
Twitter: @MinofSBT
Instagram: minofsbt
SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
For further information: Marie-Emmanuelle Cadieux, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, 343-291-2700; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]
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