Ottawa- External Affairs Minister Anita Anand says that the economy is focusing the primary focus on Canada’s relations in India-Pacific-a change that is associated with Canada’s recent steps to overcome its security dispute with India.
Anand was for his first visit to the region in Japan and Malaysia this week since Anand took over as Foreign Minister in May. His message leaving from that visit was that Canada’s foreign policy is changing – although not priorities set by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s previous liberal government.
Anand said at a telecomference from Malaysia on Thursday, “It is important for us that we see again-only in Indo-Pacific but generally speaking-to ensure that we are not only focusing on values we have historically followed.”
“Foreign policy is an extension of domestic interest and especially domestic economic interests. This is a time when the global economy is under stress.”
The Trudeau government in its trade agreements placed a language on environmental protection, labor standards and gender equality.
Goldie Hyder, head of Canadian Business Council, said that Canada appears “Slight preaching” in other countries. He said that Canada should be respectable in the way it stands for democratic values.
A focus on the economy is quickly becoming a defined feature of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, a former central banker, which is intended to re -create his business and security plans to build Canada’s domestic capacity and reduce the United States.
Carney is mostly concentrated on Europe; He has visited the continent thrice since March. Anand’s visit this week said “stage set” for Carney’s planned visits at the summit of leaders of South East Asian nations in Malaysia and Vina Nadjibulla, the research vice -president of the Asia Pacific Foundation, APEC Forum, Asia Pacific Foundation in South Korea.
Anand visited Tokyo to sign an information-sharing agreement, which could lead to defense procurement deals before going to Malaysia for South East Asian nations or ASEAN meeting.
His visit also comes when Canada tries to restore relations with India after the 2023 diplomatic cold, after the death of Sikh worker Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver in 2023 – a crime related to agents of the Government of India.
The RCMP said that it had evidence from New Delhi last year, which played a role in many Sikh-Canadians targeting, forced and forced to recover. Canada later expelled six senior Indian diplomats; New Delhi in response expelled six Canadian diplomats.
India claims that Canada is enabling a separatist movement, which is excluded from India, the Sikh motherland – Khalistan, and says that there is a violation of its sovereignty.
Carney started melting the relationship in June. He invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit in Alberta and the two leaders agreed to restore their high commissioners. Both countries are also starting security talks.
As the most populous country in the world, India is seen as an important partner as Carney has pushed Canada to separate the US from its heavy dependence on trade.
Hyder said that India’s corporate sector is urging the Canadian corporations to continue the expansion of trade despite the tension between Ottawa and New Delhi.
“One day all this is being resolved, and we don’t want to lose at that time,” he said.
He said that the low number of Canadian diplomats has made their council more challenging to engage in India, as India have a low trade commissioner in India to help cannadai people in India connect with contacts and opportunities on the ground.
Hyder, who spoke to India before leaving for a fact-and-poz mission, said that the appointment of high commissioners would determine the tone for the final trade talks. He said that a trade deal would be helpful, but not “a precondition” to promote business, and suggested that Ottawa should focus on increasing the roads and ports required to meet Asia’s demand for Canadian goods.
Vijay Sapani, a partner with the McDonald-Lariers Institute, said that India’s trade deal may come very soon.
“If we put in the right efforts at our end, I think we can probably make a free-business agreement before the end of this year, if not the first quarter of the next year), then Sapani said.” There is no Indo-Pacific without India, and if we want to play in global markets where we have gone away in a way… then we need to step into the plate. “
Sapni said that Ottawa should assure India that he will never play a role in violence in Canada. In turn, he said, Ottawa cannot be committed to showing politicians in any event, where the Khalistan is displayed in support of the movement, remembering those who participated in violence.
He said, “The biggest thing is that we can do some levels within the Canadian Indian side, and the business will definitely return to the table,” he said.
Anand will not say how Canada and India may soon appoint top messengers, or start business talks.
“We will take a step with India at one time,” he said on Thursday. “This timeline will be stable, not immediate.”
