Modi leaves Ottawa for Toronto

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday left Ottawa for Toronto, Canada' most populous city, where he will attend a diaspora event in the evening.

The prime minister earlier held talks with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper in the capital Ottawa after he was accorded a ceremonial welcome with full military honours.

The prime minister, who was welcomed by Harper, was given a gun salute and inspected a guard of honour. He also met Canadian Governor General David Johnston at the latter's official residence, Rideau Hall.

After emerging from the meeting with Harper, Modi announced a multi-million-dollar deal for uranium to power India's civilian nuclear programme for five years. India also inked 13 agreements on skill development.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Canada in 42 years, said the bilateral "relationship had drifted in the past".

He added that Canada has the potential to be a partner in India's economic transformation and assured a "new environment in India, which is open, predictable, stable and easy to do business in".

In Toronto, Modi will also visit the Air India Memorial for the victims of the Air India Flight 182 that was bombed in 1985.

He will attend a reception organised by the Indian community later in the evening.

His next stop in Canada will be Vancouver after which he will return to India.