After having remained in news for all the wrong reasons, the plummeting India-Canada ties saw a glimmer of hope this week as Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe arrived in Delhi to woo more students, join hands in agriculture and, most importantly, boost trade with India to create more jobs back home.
Leading a delegation of academia and business leaders, Moe’s arrival was whiff of fresh wind into stultifying air of distrust and foul exchange.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shocker that Indian agencies were behind the killing of a Khalistani activist in Canada, triggered a public outrage in India leading to a significant fall in Indian students seeking study visa to Canada. Ottawa expelled an Indian diplomat on the charges.
In retaliation, New Delhi shocked Ottawa by first expelling a senior Canadian diplomat and then slashing diplomatic strength of Canada in India by 41 from 62 in service. New Delhi accused them of interfering India’s affairs by providing support and safe haven to Khalistani separatists openly threatening India and Indians in Canada. Neither side has relented since.
It is in this backdrop, Saskatchewan premier landing in India with bouquet of goodies is being hailed by netizens as ” the damage control that Trudueu left for Moe to clean up.”
Premier Scott Moe came to maintain and grow trade opportunities, increase investment, and showcase Saskatchewan’s capacity to foster food and energy security goals. He focused on the province’s leadership in natural resources, agri-value, and sustainability. This is especially important given Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports to India were valued at over $700 million in 2023.
Saskatchewan is India’s largest exporter of key products including potash and lentils. In 2023, total Canadian exports to India were valued at $5.1 billion. Of that Saskatchewan alone was responsible for 26 per cent, valued at over $1.3 billion. The province’s top five exports to India include lentils, potash, wood pulp, peas and non-durum wheat.
“Saskatchewan is an exporting province and thousands of SK (Saskatchewan) jobs depend on strong export markets. In 2023, SK exports to India totalled over $1.3 billion. My job as Premier is to ensure we maintain and expand those markets and protect the thousands of SK jobs that rely on exports. That’s why I am in India this week,” Premier Scott Moe said.
Top draw of the visit has been renewal of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Government of Saskatchewan and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) to build upon and strengthen the academic and global ties between Saskatchewan and India.
The post-secondary institutions covered under the MoU will continue working together to develop provincial-international education strategies and plans, build connections and share knowledge. SICI member institutions receive benefits such as access to grants and programmes, participation at events and workshops, and student development opportunities. Member institutions may also be eligible for funding and funded programmes. The high level visit also saw University of Saskatchewan signing an MoU with QPiAI, a tech company based in India.
SICI is a bi-national educational organization with 194 member institutions of higher education throughout India and Canada, including the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan. Its focus is to encourage linkages between India and Canada through academic exchanges, research, partnerships and networks. SICI offers programmes that are accessible to students, faculty members and academic institutions in Saskatchewan.
“The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute has been advancing higher education, research and scholar mobility between India and Canada for over 55 years,” the institute President Dr. Pavneesh Madan said.
In the 2022-23 academic year, over 4,300 Indian students enrolled in Saskatchewan’s designated learning institutions, representing more than 38 per cent of all international students in the province.
“India is a key partner with Saskatchewan for education and trade, and we are proud to continue this relationship with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute in support of research collaborations and the exchange of students and academics between our institutions,” Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant said.
