India discusses strengthening relations with premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Toronto, July 11
Consul General of India in Toronto, Mahaveer Singhvi, on Friday met Tony Wakeham, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador province in Canada and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation.
"Consul General Mahaveer Singhvi met with the Hon. Tony Wakeham, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and had a warm and forward-looking discussion on strengthening India-Newfoundland and Labrador relations. The meeting explored opportunities to deepen cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including energy and critical minerals, trade and investment, innovation, and academic and skills partnerships," the Consulate General of India, in Toronto wrote on X.
Both sides identified offshore energy, critical minerals, green hydrogen, mining, marine technology, port logistics, healthcare, higher education, and research collaboration as promising areas for enhanced engagement.
"The discussions reflected the strong complementarities between India and Newfoundland and Labrador and reaffirmed a shared commitment to building resilient economic partnerships, fostering innovation, expanding institutional linkages, and creating new opportunities that deliver mutual growth and long-term prosperity," noted the Consulate.
On Monday, the Consul General addressed the virtual 'India-Canada Roundtable on Critical Minerals' organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), with participation from key government representatives and industry.
"The discussion focused on strengthening B2B engagement and exploring opportunities across key Canadian provinces in the critical minerals sector. It also underscored the mutual benefits of India-Canada partnership in building secure, resilient, and diversified critical mineral value chains," noted the Consulate on X.
"Consul General, in his remarks, highlighted the Consulate's sustained outreach to facilitate structured engagement between Indian companies and Canadian stakeholders, advancing collaboration in exploration, mining, processing, technology partnerships, and investments," ot added.
Last week, Michael Coe, Director, Government and Public Affairs at the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), called on the Consul General for a discussion on strengthening OTPP's engagement with India and advancing areas of mutual interest. The meeting reviewed OTPP's significant investments in India and explored opportunities to further deepen institutional collaboration.
"The interaction reflected the growing momentum in India-Canada economic engagement and reaffirmed OTPP's long-term confidence in India's strong growth trajectory and investment potential," the Consulate said on X.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While this diplomatic outreach is welcome, I hope our government is also pushing for fair treatment of Indian students and professionals in Canada. We're exporting talent and capital, but recent visa issues and hate crimes against Indians there need to be addressed. Economic ties must come with mutual respect.
Critical minerals is the new oil! India needs lithium, cobalt, rare earths for our EV and electronics revolution. Canada's Newfoundland and Ontario have these resources. Smart move by our diplomatic team to diversify supply chains away from China. Hope this leads to concrete MoUs soon.
Honest question - how does this align with India's overall Canada policy? We keep talking about 'shared values' but then there's the Khalistan issue and diplomatic spats. Either we sort out the big picture or these provincial deals will remain aspirational. Need consistent strategy.
Academic partnerships mentioned here are crucial. Newfoundland's Memorial University has strong ocean engineering programs. Indian students could benefit from research collaboration in marine technology and cold climate engineering. Plus, more student exchanges means stronger people-to-people ties 🇮🇳
The OTPP meeting is interesting - Canadian pension funds have been big investors in Indian infrastructure. Ontario Teachers' alone has billions in India. This shows institutional confidence in our economy despite political noise. Smart diplomacy to keep these relationships warm regardless of government-level tensions.
Green hydrogen from Newfoundland could power Indian industries! They have abundant wind and
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.