India, Canada talking FTA/MFN trade treaty
Quebec plans Special Certificate of Selection to tap student talent
To provide greater fillip to existing bilateral trade, India and Canada are at an early, exploratory stage of entering into a free trade agreement (FTA) and most favoured nation status (MFN) as well.
Disclosing this at a jampacked luncheon meeting with State officials and galaxy of industry captains from State, which Deccan Herald was privy to, Quebec Premier Jean Charest said currently active discussions are on gamut of issues and basket of trade items to be negotiated for mutual benefits in the agreement, which, when struck, will propel bilateral trade into a new orbit. Charest said the dialogue includes trade, investment, reducing barriers and other areas of mutual cooperation.
He said, Quebec, is second most important destination for Indian exports to Canada, and India being Quebec’s fifth largest supplier, the Canadian Province would be putting in place Certification of Selection policy to ensure students could stay over in Quebec after their education.
Career of choice
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Charest said the policy would come into play by February 2011 helping talents and skilled professionals from India to seamlessly integrate into Quebec economic mainstream. The Certificate of Selection policy, will ensure a student after completion of diploma, graduation or masters can stay on to pursue career of their choice and thereon become Canadian citizens. This, he said, was ensuring Quebec, which faced huge labour shortage due to its aged population, tap into young talented pool of India with boasts of rich resource of young men and women.
The Certificate of Selection policy, would provide recognition of professional qualifications making it faster and easier to obtain permit to practice in Quebec helping Indian professionals and students to move between Europe and North America, he added.
Making a strong pitch for his province, he said Quebec was specially looking at establishing long-standing relationships in areas of education as currently only 4,000 students are from India from among 25,000 foreign students pursuing courses.
Strategic tie-ups
Besides, Quebec was exploring strategic tie-ups with Indian firms in IT & ICT, biotech, life sciences, renewable energy, science & technology, microelectronics, optics, telecom, multimedia, videogames, including culture and films as there were abundant high-end jobs to be exploited by skilled Indians, entrepreneurs and Indian companies. Incidentally, Charest said the 130 plus strong team, which had over 200 business-to-business meeting on first day, saw a Canadian aerospace firm enter into agreement with HAL for supply of simulators for its helicopters. Likewise, another aviation firm had entered into cooperation for pilot training with HAL.
Charest said the team, on a two-day visit, which met up Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, is also expected to visit Infosys, Wipro, IISc, IIIT-B, and host of Bangalore-based companies and institutions. Quebec, he said, was keen on strategic alliance in aerospace, aviation, biotech, life sciences and education in Karnataka / Bangalore.
