OTTAWA: Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday co-chaired the discussions for the sixth India-Canada ministerial dialogue on trade and investment (MDTI) in Ottawa, along with his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng.
MDTI is a bilateral mechanism which provides institutional mechanism to discuss a broad spectrum of trade and investment related issues and cooperation areas.
Goyal also looks after the portfolios of Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles
Minister Mary Ng said: ‘Welcome to Canada Minister Piyush Goyal. As the host of the G20 this year – and at the begining of Asian Heritage month – it is an honour to host you and your delegation. Working together is how we create good jobs & opportunities for our people.
“The meeting is intended to build on our strong foundation to open new doors for our businesses and jobs for our people. We both know the future lies in building a clean economy, one that is inclusive and creates prospertity for both our people. Let’s continue to invest in one another’s success.”
Minister Goyal said: “The dialogue reinforces how forging an Early Progress Trade Agreement would further deepen the Indo-Canadian trade ties, mutually benefiting both the countries. The dialogue focused on various themes including strengthening the bilateral trade relationship between India and Canada, investment promotion and cooperation, green transition. critical minerals discussion and new areas of cooperation such as promoting B2B engagements.
On Tuesday, both the ministers hosted a roundtable with Canadian and Indian businesses to hear first-hand how they could make it easier for these companies to work together and to help them succeed. Minister Ng said: “The success of the Canada- India relationship is rooted within the close collaboration and hard work of Indian and Canadian businesses”
The ministers also reviewed the India-Canada CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations. At the last MDTI meeting in March 2022, both ministers had launched the CEPA negotiations with a possibility to have an interim agreement or EPTA (Early Progress Trade Agreement).
Since then, seven rounds of negotiations have been held. Goyal also visited Toronto where he held various engagements to promote ade and investment. These included meetings with CEOs of key Canadian companies, round table of Indian and Canadian CEOs, interaction with Canadian and Indian companies based in Canada and a financial sector round table among other meetings.
On Tuesday, Minister Goyal inaugurated the India Pavilion at SIAL CANADA, one of the largest food innovation trade shows in North America at the Enercare Centre. Goyal said he was proud to see over 100 Indian entities were showcasing the multifaceted aspects of India’s dynamic food and beverage sector on the global stage.