India remains a trusted partner, productive path ahead: Canadian minister

Referring to Canadian PM Mark Carney's proposed visit to India in March, Sawhney said it would offer an important opportunity to strengthen trade ties and identify new areas of economic cooperation

Canada wants India to know that it remains a reliable and trusted partner and that the path ahead for bilateral ties is positive and productive, Canadian Minister of Indigenous Relations Rajan Sawhney said on Wednesday.

Speaking at Chandigarh University here, Sawhney said Canada was keen to strengthen cooperation with India across trade, education, energy, research, critical minerals and people-to-people ties.

She was addressing an event titled 'Beyond Diplomacy: People, Knowledge and Youth as the Future of India-Canada Relations' during a visit by a high-level Canadian delegation exploring deeper trade, academic and research collaborations, an official statement said.

Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's proposed visit to India in March, Sawhney said it would offer an important opportunity to strengthen trade ties and identify new areas of economic cooperation, particularly as both countries look to diversify markets.

She highlighted the scope for collaboration between Indian and Canadian universities in areas such as energy, decarbonisation, sustainability, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and agri-technology, stressing that strong institutional linkages were key to meaningful research partnerships.

Sawhney said research funding often emerges from a mix of government support, universities, private sector players and non-profits.

"Canadian institutions are actively looking for the right global partners, and such collaborations have materialised organically in the past through academic introductions," she added.

Senior Managing Director of Chandigarh University, Deep Inder Singh Sandhu, extended collaboration proposals in academics, research, innovation, clean energy and sustainability.

Responding to the proposal, Sawhney said, "We will take this forward through strong institution-to-institution connections and work closely with Chandigarh University to explore meaningful collaboration."  She said Canadian universities were already working on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies and noted the potential for joint work in clean energy, AI and advanced research.

On international education, Sawhney said Canada's quota for international students had not been fully utilised, and Indian students could still apply.

She said Indian students received high-quality education in Canada and could bring back knowledge and skills to India, while Indian institutions also played a role in retaining talent.

On the suspension of in-person consular services in some Indian cities, she said, "Consular services are a federal matter, but we will take up the issue with our federal counterparts and advocate for the expansion of services to address the concerns of Indian students and professionals."  On racial discrimination, Sawhney said, "It is a challenge that exists globally, but the Canadian government follows a zero-tolerance policy against such discrimination."  Speaking about her Indian roots in Punjab, she said the Punjabi diaspora had made significant contributions to Canada's growth, adding that they had earned their place through hard work and resilience.