Canadian team to visit India to advocate Indo-Canada CEPA

New Delhi, Mar.25 (ANI): A high profile Canadian delegation led by John Manley, President and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), and Roy MacLaren, Chairman of the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC), will visit India from March 29 to April 1, 2010.

A Canadian High Commission release said they will be accompanied by a private sector delegation and will visit New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

They will meet Canadian and Indian business leaders, government officials, academics and economic policy experts to promote the mutual benefits of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and advocate for a stronger commercial engagement between Canada and India.

During the November 2009 visit of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to India, a Joint Study Group was established to formulate the parameters of a CEPA. Representing the Canadian private sector, the delegation will meet with government officials, including Minister of Industry and Commerce, Anand Sharma, to convey the importance of the India-Canada commercial relationship.

They will also hold panel discussions with senior members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and Indian and Canadian business leaders.

This visit, as several other recent high-level visits to India and Canada, including the current visit of Minister of Road Transport and Infrastructure, Kamal Nath, strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, and enhance commercial opportunities for Indian and Canadian business. (ANI)