Canada proud to be partner country for third consecutive Vibrant Gujarat
January 9, 2015 — Ottawa — Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander will lead the Canadian delegation next week at the Vibrant Gujarat Conference—a biennial summit hosted by the Government of Gujarat in India—where the Government of Canada will highlight the strong ties between Canada and India.
The delegation will arrive at Vibrant Gujarat on January 11 for the opening where Alexander will speak at the Summit’s Official Inauguration. As well, the four-day trip will provide the delegation with the opportunity to showcase Canada’s commercial strengths in India, promote Canada as an investment destination of choice, and provide a platform for businesses to take advantage of trade and investment opportunities.
The Canadian delegation includes: Dr. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women; Devinder Shory, Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast and co-Chair of the Canada-India Parliamentary Association; and Patrick Brown, Member of Parliament for Barrie and co-Chair of the Canada-India Parliamentary Association.
Alexander will also have the opportunity to highlight developments in Canada’s economic immigration policy, such as the newly launched Express Entry system and the Start-up Visa program.
Following the Vibrant Gujarat, Alexander will travel to Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, to celebrate the opening of a new visa office.
Quick facts
- Bilateral trade between Canada and India totalled a record $5.8 billion dollars in 2013, and has more than doubled over the last ten years.
- More than 1.1 million people living in Canada can trace their heritage back to India.
- In 2013, more than 33,000 Indian citizens became permanent residents in Canada.
- Express Entry will manage applications for four federal economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of Provincial Nominee Programs.
- With the Start-up Visa, Canada is targeting a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can create jobs for Canadians and compete on a global scale.
Quotes
“The Government of Canada is proud to participate in the 7th Vibrant Gujarat Summit. This summit allows us to further strengthen ties between Canada and India by highlighting business opportunities, sharing experiences and trading ideas.” ”
Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister
“Our government’s top priority remains the economy. I am proud to be part of this delegation that allows us to highlight the strong trade relationship that exists between Canada and India, which helps promote job creation and economic growth.”
Dr. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women
“As co-Chair of the Canada-India Parliamentary Association, I am very excited to join my colleagues, Minister Alexander, Minister Leitch and my co-Chair Member of Parliament Patrick Brown, as part of the Canadian delegation. It is because of our strong people-to-people ties and the passion and commitment of organizations like the Canada India Foundation that the relationship between Canada and India is stronger than ever.”
Devinder Shory, Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast
“I am honoured to be making my fifteenth visit to India, my ninth visit to Gujarat and I am keen to attend Vibrant Gujarat for the fourth time to speak about the flourishing Indo-Canadian friendship. People-to-people connections are what make the Canada and India relationship so dynamic, and this is particularly evident in Gujarat.”
Patrick Brown, Member of Parliament for Barrie
Related products
- News Release—Recruiting In-Demand, Skilled Immigrants to Canada
- News Release—Celebrating entrepreneurship with Canada’s Start-up Visa
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Photos of Minister Alexander available at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/index.asp
Contacts
Kevin Menard
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.
