SPEECHES

96/1 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY

THE HONOURABLE RAYMOND CHAN,

SECRETARY OF STATE (ASIA-PACIFIC),

TO THE INDO-CANADIAN SHASTRI INSTITUTE

AT THE CONFERENCE ON

MANAGING CHANGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY --

INDIAN AND CANADIAN PERSPECTIVES

NEW DELHI, India

January 12, 1996

Mr. John Wood, President of the Indo-Canadian Shastri Institute; Mr. V. Ramachandran, Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies; Ms. Flora McDonald, Chairperson of the International Development Research Centre; distinguished speakers and discussants; friends of the institute; distinguished guests:

It is indeed a pleasure to join you for your luncheon at this conference on "Managing Change in the 21st Century -- Indian and Canadian Perspectives." The topics being discussed today are of immense importance for understanding the changing relationships between India and Canada and I very much look forward to reading the proceedings once they become available.

As Canada's Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), I have visited many countries in this immense and varied region. What strikes me most about India is the remarkable progress of India's program of free-market economic reforms and the potential this offers for Canadians, who already enjoy such profound historic ties with India.

Those linkages form a strong foundation on which we can build a more mature bilateral relationship.

Canada and India have had diplomatic relations for almost half a century. Indeed, our countries have a history of bilateral co-operation that predates India's independence. The Canada-India partnership was cemented by very close personal friendships between our leaders starting with that of Mr. Nehru and Mr. Pearson. I am pleased that Lester Pearson's son Geoffrey is here with us today. Canada and India have been partners in various multilateral forums, including the Commonwealth, United Nations peacemaking operations and now the new World Trade Organization. We have enjoyed close bilateral ties in the area of development co-operation since the days of the Colombo Plan during the 1950s.

On the human side, over half a million immigrants have come to Canada from India since the turn of the century. Many Indians have come to Canada for higher education -- and I hope more students and scholars will come. Still many more visit Canada each year for business and pleasure. The Indo-Canadian community has contributed to Canada's rich and diverse cultural, ethnic and religious mosaic. It adds empathy to our India ties allowing us to attain the level of cultural affinity so long of benefit to our North American and European links. Much of our success in realizing our aspirations in business will have to do with the success we have in linking our peoples.

The Indo-Canadian community has maintained and nurtured its ties with India, and successive Canadian governments have encouraged this to continue. It is a source of strength for both Canada and India, and provides depth to our relations.

As we have clearly seen on this Team Canada mission to India, commercial opportunities will undoubtedly provide the backbone for a new era of Canada-India relations. Our current mission not only saw the signing of hundreds of millions of dollars in business deals, but it has - perhaps more importantly - served to heighten awareness and interest both in Canada and India of the opportunities that exist. Clearly, Canada and Canadian business have developed greater confidence in long-term engagements here. India's economic liberalization program and its emergence into the broader trading world have contributed to this increased confidence.

The transition has extensive implications for the sustainability of India's economic development. While we recognize that even positive change can be difficult and that the benefits are not always immediately evident throughout society, Canada continues to strongly support the economic reform program and urges India to stay the course.

From the several meetings I had during my visit to India last March and throughout the meetings we have had on this visit, I have every assurance that the forward-looking leaders of the Indian government and business community will continue to press ahead with economic liberalization. Further reforms, transparency and certainty about the rules of the game will be essential to sustaining international business confidence.

As we enter into this new and exciting period in our relationship, we want to capitalize on opportunities for greater Canada-India commercial co-operation.

India's continuing efforts to modernize its infrastructure -- especially in the areas of power generation and distribution, telecommunications services, transportation, and environmental protection -- present enormous challenges for both countries.

But this new era in the relationship cannot be limited to commercial exchange alone.

If Canada and India are to strengthen ties, the challenge will be to work together in a rapidly changing international environment. This relationship must be built on the real understanding that Canada and India work as "Partners in Development" -- a phrase coined many years ago by Lester Pearson. This concept of partnership is just as important today as it was then. It is based on the principal of working together as equals towards a common objective of social and economic development. It is therefore imperative that our understanding of partnership extend to the point that we increasingly look at each other's problems as being something we all share -- be it poverty, social inequity and unrest, insecurity or political instability. In this regard, conferences such as this one have an important role to play in bridging gaps and in bringing together individuals and institutions as partners in addressing these common concerns.

The Indo-Canadian Shastri Institute represents an important vehicle for Canada and India to work as partners, to exchange views and knowledge, and to jointly approach problems of mutual concern in an effort to solve them. Scholarly exchange, institutional linkages and the bringing together of Canadian and Indian studies are important for building the long-standing relations between our countries.

This visit by Team Canada has revitalized our relationship with India and provides the framework for it to continue and prosper. To achieve this breakthrough, we have concentrated with our Indian partners on enhancing economic links -- a goal endorsed by both India's government and its private sector. In other areas, we shall continue to co-operate in sustainable development. We shall embrace the rich intellectual interchange provided by our academic and cultural relations. We shall continue to work together on important issues such as the environment, and we shall continue to work through the Commonwealth and other international organizations to resolve the outstanding issues arising from the New World Order. We must also continue to address the more difficult and sensitive matters related to regional security and human rights in a mature and constructive manner.

In closing, I have a firm vision of a very close, mutually rewarding and multi-dimensional relationship between Canada and India in the 21st century.

You have my assurances that the Canadian government is committed to this goal and that we will strive together to see this happen. Canadians look forward to building partnerships with India as it strides forward to achieve its vast potential.

Thank you.