Trudeau in India: an economic mission which has “very little substance”

Photo AFP

Maxime Huard

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 17:39

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Tuesday, February 20, 2018 17:39

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The journey of Justin Trudeau in India already looks like a disappointment on the economic front, agree to some specialists.

“There is very little substance that surrounds this trip. It looks like a brochure of travel, Lonely Planet, paid for by taxpayers ‘ dollars,” laments Vivek Dehejia, an economics professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. It has not been possible to know on Tuesday, the projected cost of the trip.

Beyond the visits of sacred places, and photographs of family in traditional clothes, the prime minister of Canada has few official meetings are planned during the seven days of the trip, which told the expert that no major announcement is expected.

“Canada must do better. The economic relations between the two countries are at a very low level,” explained the one that is located in Mumbai in the margin of the visit.

Mode catch-up

With 1.3 billion people, a GDP of more than 2200 billion dollars and a growth rate of around 7 %, India is the seventh largest economy in the world, according to the world Bank.

However, trade between the two countries totaled $ 8 billion at the present time. This figure is equivalent to five days of trade between Canada and the United States, observes the expert of indian politics from the University of Sherbrooke, Serge Granger.

“There’s a lot of catching up to do. India has never really been taken seriously by Canada,” explained the professor.

According to him, Canada was “the empty hands”. “Some of the Indians perceive the trip as a recruiting election” to seduce the indo-canadian community, ” said Mr. Granger, which explains in part the home cold reserved for Justin Trudeau.

The indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was not at the airport for the arrival of Mr. Trudeau. Instead, he delegated his minister of Agriculture. Mr. Modi has not accompanied the canadian prime minister in his movements in his native region of Gujarat, as it sometimes does with other dignitaries.

The two politicians will meet on Friday, to Delhi.

Free trade at the point of death

Canada has started in 2010, under the leadership of the Harper government, the negotiation of a treaty of free trade with India. If the folder does not advance, it is especially because the federal government seeks at this time to promote agreements with progressive values and inclusive, as is often repeated Justin Trudeau.

“India does not want to make the moral,” illustrates the expert in economy Vivek Dehejia.

There is an “enormous gap” between the two countries, noted for his Serge Granger. The professor recalls that India will not adopt anytime soon strong measures on child labour, pay equity or unionization.

At the end of a day of meetings with business leaders in Mumbai, Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday, a business partnership a value of $ 1 billion from indian companies and canadian.

The bulk of these investments go from Canada to India. Under these agreements, $ 250 million will be invested in the country and will create more than 5800 jobs, according to Ottawa.