Justin Trudeau’s India visit so far

The seven day visit of the Canadian Prime Minister is aimed at bolstering bilateral relations between the two countries

In his first visit to India, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made news mainly for the lukewarm reception he received. In his seven day visit, he includes Agra, Amritsar, Mumbai and Ahmedabad and is aimed at bolstering the bilateral relations between the two countries across areas of mutual interest.

He will be meeting Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Amritsar and will be visiting the Golden Temple. This meeting is being watched closely because of the perception around the soft approach to Sikh extremist groups in the country by Trudeau. His first stopover was at the Taj Mahal in Agra along with his wife Sophie Gregoire and three children. He mentioned that this was his second visit to the Taj. He had come to India on an official trip with his father when he was 11 years old. His father was the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Later in the day he visited a rescued elephant’s care center run by animal welfare organization Wildlife SOS in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura. They fed elephants and interacted with Wildlife SOS founders, caregivers and veterinarians.

On the third day, he arrived in Ahmedabad where his first stop was the Sabarmati Ashram and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He also tried his hand at spinning the wheel. He then proceeded to the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar and then headed to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He spent the next day in Mumbai interacting with the top business leaders and representatives of the film industry. Speaking at an event, Trudeau said that at a time when the world is closing in on the issue of immigration, Canada has opened its doors since it is a positive advantage to remain open to international talent. He announced more than 5,000 new jobs in Canada and over $1 billion of Indian investment in Canada.

He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 23rd and both the leaders will focus on defence and counter terrorism cooperation. Before leaving for Delhi, Trudeau tweeted, “Wheels up for India and a busy visit, focused on creating good jobs and strengthening the deep connection between the people of our two countries.” Canada imports pharmaceutical products, pearls, organic chemicals, textiles, bicycles and motorcycles from India.