TORONTO: The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) gave a farewell reception to the Indian High Commissioner to Ottawa, Ajay Bisaria on last week. The ICCC Board members, advisory board members and select guests were present at the event held in a downtown hotel in Toronto.
Ajay Bisaria highlighted the growing bilateral trade and investment between Canada and India and expressed confidence that the future of Canada – India relations is extremely bright.
Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General of India in Toronto, emphasized that Bisaria was one of the most versatile diplomats to have worked for India’s interests in Canada.
Arvind Bhardwaj, ICCC’s President, also emphasized the positive influence that Bisaria has had on Canada – India ties, and was instrumental in bringing together India’s Piyush Goyal and Canada’s Mary Ng together in March 2022, paving the way for an early agreement on economic relations.
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India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ajay Bisaria was accorded a warm send off by members and friends of Canada India Foundation as he ends his assignment in Canada at the end of June 2022. Bisaria, age 60, is set to retire with no announcement about his future plans.
An enthusiastic group of admirers gathered at the Albany Club, downtown Toronto, to meet with the popular diplomat and bid him a fond farewell.
CIF Chair, Satish Thakkar, spoke of the tremendous progress Canada and India have made under Bisaria’s watch. He also thanked him for being a mentor to CIF over the past two years.
He noted, “During his time, Canada India relationship grew from lukewarm to warm. What we all remember is the way his office facilitated the transfer from India of vaccines, critically needed by Canada, and the equally urgent need for PPE and other equipment that Canada supplied to India. During this short stint, HC has been an effective and firm voice on behalf of India and held the course even when faced with provocation.
“He has been a tireless advocate on behalf of India’s growth story. He does not miss a single opportunity to spread the message of what India holds out for the world today. Even during the worst part of the pandemic, confidence in India by Canadian investors held firm, and a major role was played by his unique ability to communicate with conviction and instill confidence.”
Ajay Bisaria responded by thanking his colleagues across Canada and stakeholders like CIF, working toward strengthening the India Canada relationship. Speaking on a lighter note, Bisaria said, “I am also happy with the send off I am getting here because in the last send off I got, I was given 72 hours to leave Islamabad! So, thank you for making this a pleasant one.”
Bisaria recapped India’s journey through history to the point where today it occupies a key position in world affairs. “I want to take a moment to reflect on India’s journey, 75 years of Independence and its 5000-year-old civilization. It’s been an incredible journey and for me, the highlight has been our commitment to democracy and diversity despite all the huge challenges. It’s due to the commitment of successive generations to bring prosperity to 1.4 billion Indian citizens while celebrating their diversity of thought and custom. Today’s India is the world’s fastest growing major economy, driven by the energy and innovation of its very youthful business sector.”
Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, stated, “On behalf of Ontario premier, Doug Ford, and the entire caucus I want to thank you for diligently working to bring investment and trade to Ontario from India. As a proud descendant of India, I look forward to doing even more in our collaboration and make sure that Ontario and India relationship becomes an example to the world.”