Bilateral trade must benefit poor: Justin Trudeau

Bilateral trade must benefit poor: Justin Trudeau

Context:

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said while the focus of his country’s relations with India has shifted from aid in the 1950s to trade today, it was important to ensure that greater bilateral trade and investment benefits all, especially the poor.

Diversity spurs innovation:

• Terming democracy and diversity as common factors for India and Canada, the Canadian Prime Minister said that if we want to progress as a community, we should not just tolerate diversity but champion it.
• Diversity, including of religion and gender, enriches us, make our communities stronger and more resilient.
• According to him, diversity opens societies to new ways of thinking and spurs innovation.
• Canada and India need to capitalise on people-to-people ties, and leverage business and knowledge networks.
• To improve business ties, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau also referred to the benefits of Canada’s ‘startup visa program’ to start businesses in Canada, and its ‘global skills strategy’ to help firms recruit and bring talent to Canada at a short notice.