Serious Allegations: On Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Charges Against India

India-Canada ties

• Bilateral ties between India and Canada are based on shared interests such as democracy, pluralism, economic engagement, regular high-level interactions, and people-to-people ties.
• India and Canada established bilateral relations in 1947, with the relationship being elevated to the level of a Strategic Partnership in 2015.

Strategic

• India and Canada have collaborated in international fora such as the UN, Commonwealth, and G-20.
• At the Ministerial level, the Indo-Canadian relationship is based on Ministerial Dialogues on:
  • Foreign policy
  • Trade and investment
  • Finance
  • Energy
• The two countries also cooperate regularly through working groups on issues such as:
  • Counter-terrorism
  • Security
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Science and Technology

Economic

• In 2022, India was Canada’s 9th largest trade partner and a priority market for Canada as it aims to expand its economic ties in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • In 2021, India was Canada's 14th-largest export market and 13th-largest trading partner overall.
• The major commodities exported from India to Canada are medicines, garments, diamonds, gems and jewelry, chemicals, petroleum and oil, seafood, engineering goods, marble and granite, electric equipment, and plastic products.
• The major commodities imported by India from Canada are pulses, fertilizers, newsprint, aircraft & aviation equipment, diamonds, copper ores and concentrates, bituminous coal, wood pulp, nickel, and unwrought aluminum.
• India and Canada are members of investment agreements such as
  • World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA)
  • Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
  • Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMS)
  • General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT)
  • General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
  • World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement (ITA)

Science and Technology

• Energy Cooperation: Canada is an ‘energy superpower’ with some of the largest resources of uranium, natural gas, oil, coal, minerals, hydropower, renewable energy, and nuclear energy.
  • Indo-Canadian cooperation in the sector will help India achieve its ambition of 500 GW by 2030.
• Civil Nuclear Cooperation: India and Canada signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) in June 2010 which came into force in September 2013.
• Initiatives: Indo-Canadian cooperation includes initiatives such as
  • Promotion of Industrial Research and Development
  • Biotechnology initiatives such as the IC-IMPACTS program for joint research in health care, agri-biotech, and waste management.
  • Cooperation in IT and space sectors.

Education

• India is one of the top sources of foreign students in Canada.
• India and Canada have also cooperated in the GIAN programme of the Government of India through the participation of Canadian faculty.
• Canada is also one of the 28 countries covered under the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), which aims to improve research ecosystems in India’s higher education institutions
• India and Canada have also been engaged in educational, and cultural cooperation through the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) which was established in 1968.

Security

• India and Canada signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in 1994 and an Extradition Treaty in 1987.
• They also established a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in 1997 for engagement on counter-terror and security issues.
• Cooperation in the security sector was further enhanced through the Framework for Cooperation between India and Canada on Countering Terrorism in 2018.

1. Indian diaspora has scaled new heights in the West. Describe its economic and political benefits for India. (UPSC GS2 2023)
2. Discuss India’s relations with Canada and the challenges faced in ties between them in light of recent events. (150 words)