Canada-India Cepa ‘anchored in future, is more than numbers’

South Asian Focus

Is a tripling of Indo-Canada trade to $15 billion by 2015 – as called for by Prime Ministers Harper and Singh – realistic? Or is it overly optimistic?

“Our trade with Singapore tripled by 2009, after we signed an agreement with them in 2005,” observed Rahul Khullar, Deputy Minister for Commerce and Industry. “More recently, after our Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Korea, trade has surged more than 40 per cent per annum.

“These engagements are anchored in the future, so we have to start looking at the world very differently.”

Speaking about the Canadian context, the visiting official said as his bottomline message: “Don’t look at Cepa as a numbers agreement, but as something with an architecture that can yield bigger results.”

Khullar this week headed a 154-strong engineering industry contingent from India to showcase the country’s prowess in cutting edge technology.

On show was the much talked-about Tata Nano – “a car built to international standards, available at one-tenth the price,” was the way Consul General Preeti Saran put it. Also on display was Reva, the electric car from the House of Mahindras, while the unassuming Voting Meter – that gives the results from an electorate of 700 million within mere minutes – was also on show.

The straight-talking Khullar admitted to corruption in India, but contended the issue was overplayed. He also agreed India needs to overcome its infrastructure bottlenecks.

The event also saw a Memorandum of Understanding being signed between Rana Sarkar, president and CEO, Canada-India Business Council, and Aman Chadha, chairman, Electronics Exports Promotion Council. Sarkar noted this kind is engagement is key to foster growth.

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