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Rebuilding India ties key to doubling non-US exports by 2035: Canada
Canada seeks to rebuild ties with India to boost non-US exports by 2035, emphasizing energy partnerships and trade during Minister Hodgson's recent visit.
The Canadian government has said that rebuilding the relationship with India is “key” to achieving Ottawa’s stated objective of doubling non-US exports by 2035.
That statement came as Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson completed a visit to India, during which he attended India Energy Week in Goa and held bilaterals with as many as five Indian Cabinet Ministers.
“This visit reflects a clear shift in not only how Canada is engaging with the global economy, but also how we are engaging with one of the largest, most consequential markets of this century, that is India,” Hodgson said during the course of a virtual press conference after his return to Toronto on Friday.
Stating that strategic engagement with India was “not optional” but “essential”, Hodgson said, “The path to being an energy superpower runs through India in many ways for Canada.”
Earlier, Natural Resources Canada, in a statement, noted, “Rebuilding Canada’s relationship with India is key to achieving the Prime Minister’s goal of doubling exports to non-US markets by 2035.”
Hodgson pointed out the government was putting into action what Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had stated during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month. He said, “As Prime Minister Carney says, we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. That means we must move quickly to deepen and enhance partnerships in every corner of the globe and use the natural advantages and resources we have to build Canada Strong. As one of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world, India is looking to us as a potential supplier of energy and minerals.”
Carney is expected to visit India in early March for his first bilateral trip to the country since taking over as Canada’s Prime Minister.
Hodgson’s meetings in India were wide-ranging, beginning with launching the renewed Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri.
He also met Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and they focused on growing trade and investment between the two countries. During his bilateral with Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, they looked at “deepening policy exchanges and cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, hydrogen and bioenergy innovation.”
“Canada offers a secure and reliable supply of critical minerals essential for India’s electric vehicle (EV) networks, renewable expansion, and energy transition,” Natural Resources Canada said after Hodgson met with Minister of Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy.
During their meeting, with Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Jagat Prakash Nadda who “indicated India’s interest in expanding long-term supply agreements and highlighted existing strategic investments in Canadian resources.”
Engagement with the energy and natural resources sector will continue in the months ahead with India’s Minister of Coal and Mines Kishan Reddy accepting Hodgson’s invitation to travel to Toronto in March, where he will attend the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada’s Convention at the beginning of the month. Puri is also expected to visit Canada later this year.
