The Canadian Parvasi-issue 64

The International News Weekly Canada
October 12, 2018 | Toronto 04
Michaelle Jean makes final pitch to keep
top post as Francophonie summit opens
The Canadian Press
YEREVAN, Armenia: Michaelle
Jean made a public
plea to hold on to her post as
secretary general of la Francophonie
Thursday, urging
member nations not to allow
the defence of rights and democracy
to take a back seat
to partisan ambitions.
For Jean, the address to
the opening session of the
summit of la Francophonie
was a final stand ahead of a
closed-door meeting of members
Friday to choose the
next secretary general. Her
words were clearly aimed at
her rival for the post, Rwandan
Foreign Affairs Minister
Louise Mushikiwabo.
"At a moment when we
march toward the 50th anniversary
of la Francophonie,
lets ask ourselves here in
Yerevan, in all conscience
and in all responsibility, on
which side of history do we
want to be," Jean said.
"Are we ready to accept
that international organizations
are used for partisan
purposes?" Jean asked. "Are
we ready to accept that democracy,
rights and freedoms
are reduced to mere
words, that we make them
meaningless in the name of
realpolitik?"
The former Canadian
governor general, who has
held the top job at the organization
of French-speaking
nations since 2014, is facing
an uphill battle as she seeks
a second term.
After months of supporting
her, the Canadian
and Quebec governments
announced this week that
they would rally around the
"consensus" candidate, Mushikiwabo.
Traditionally,
the selection of a secretary
general is by agreement, not
through a vote.
Mushikiwabo already
had the support of France
— which is the main funder
of la Francophonie — and
many African Union countries.
Rwanda has managed to
secure support for Mushikiwabo's
candidacy despite
its poor record upholding
democratic rights and freedom
of the press. Rwandan
President Paul Kagame has
been labelled an authoritarian
by rights groups.
Jean, however, refused
to back down amid diminishing
chances of securing
another term. Her spokesman,
Bertin Leblanc, has
said any consensus must be
reached by the heads of state
and governments behind
closed doors.
Meanwhile, a source
close to Jean's campaign
says some African leaders
are uncomfortable with the
idea of a done deal and have
even told her directly that
they find themselves in an
impossible position.
According to a survey by
Radio France International,
the Haitian-born Jean had
the support of 17 or 18 delegations
on the eve of the
summit. La Francophonie
has 54 full member states
and governments.
Earlier Thursday, Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau
praised the "remarkable
work" done by the former
governor general, who has
focused on women, youth
and human rights while in
the post.
"Michaelle affirmed herself
as an ardent defender of
women, notably by asserting
their right to education and
fighting for their emancipation,"
Trudeau told heads of
state in the Armenian capital,
lauding her dedication
and contagious energy.
Trudeau and Jean had
a one-on-one meeting upon
the prime minister's arrival
in Yerevan but no details
were released.
Despite not backing her,
French President Emmanuel
Macron also paid homage
to Jean's defence of women's
rights.
"La Francophonie must
be the space that fights for
the rights of women, and I
want to salute the work that
was done by Michaelle Jean,
to whom I pay tribute, who
strongly mobilized in this
fight," Macron said near the
end of his opening remarks.
"La Francophonie must
be feminist, and you were
right, madame secretary
general, not to give up in this
fight."
Bains envisions
Brampton as the next
innovation hotspot
Brampton, Ontario : Ms Gurpreet Kaur Bains, candidate
for Regional Councilor in Wards 2 and 6 in
Brampton, envisions Brampton as the next hotspot
along the innovation corridor. The combination of
Ryerson University opening a campus in Brampton,
the city secretive and entrepreneurial work force,
and Brampton’s position between Toronto and Waterloo
gives Brampton the perfect set - up to create a
thriving economy and attract new jobs.
“Ryerson chose to place its newest campus specializing
in Cyber security in Brampton’s downtown
core, because they see the potential this city holds,
and I see it too.” said Bains,
Bains be believes that creating new partnerships
with innovation hubs, post-secondary institutions,
and centers in the emerging sectors of robotics, cyber
security and biotechnology can transform Brampton
from the city it is today in to a booming metropolis.
“Cities like Toronto and Waterloo have been proactive
in creating partnerships with post-secondary
intuitions and big technology companies like Google
and Blackberry. The potential for these type of partnerships
exists in Brampton if we foster it and capitalize
on our young and educated population,” stated
Bains.
Bains looks forward to collaborating with local
and global partners to establish Brampton as a model
city.
Innovation is the key to future says
Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada
Anil Arora, Chief Statistician,
Statistics Canada, highlighted
the role of Canadians
of Indian origin in the Canadian
society and especially
its economy at an exclusive
Speaker Series organised
by Canada India Foundation
Tuesday 9 October at
Oakville.
In a session that witnessed
unprecedented participation,
Mr. Arora also
highlighted the modernisation
drive undertaken by Statistics
Canada in its centenary
year to generate data that
will enable real time policy
decisions.
Indo-Canadians
Delineating the role of
Canadians of Indian origin in
the Canadian economy, Mr.
Arora said, their number is
rising. According to the 2016
Census of Population, 8.9%
of Canada’s total immigrant
population was born in India.
Immigrants born in India
constitute Canada’s largest
immigrant group by country
of birth, ahead of China
(8.6%) and the Philippines
(7.8%).
He said, about half of
immigrants who came to
Canada from India between
1980 and 2016 were sponsored
by a family member. Most
others were admitted under
economic class programs.
From l to r: Ramesh Chotai, Vijay Sastry, Ajit Someshwar,
Ramesh Sangha, Pankaj Dave, Anil Arora, Satish Thakkar, Girish
Kekre, Chirag Shah, Rahul Sashtri, Mayur Dave
More recently, immigrants
born in India represented
12.1% of all immigrants who
came to Canada between 2011
and 2016, second only to those
from the Philippines (15.6%).
Indian students
Explaining the popularity
of Canada as a higher
education destination among
international students from
India, Mr. Arora said, “of
the 385,000 international students
who came to Canada
between 2010 and 2013, 13 percent
came from India. This
compares to just 1% of international
students who came
to Canada from India in the
1990s.
Bilateral trade
On bilateral trade between
Canada and India, Mr.
Arora said that the total trade
in goods and services between
the two countries was
$10 billion in 2017, up from $6
billion – or nearly 70 % – in
2012. Nearly 2000 businesses
operating in Canada export
to India, while about 15,000
import from India. Canada’s
direct investment assets in
India total $2.6 billion, generating
about 15,000 jobs in
Canadian affiliates operating
in that country. India’s direct
investment assets in Canada
total $3.1 billion, generating
nearly 18,000 jobs in Indianowned
affiliates operating in
Canada.
Data Revolution
The third part of Mr. Arora’s
presentation pertained
to the data revolution that is
changing Canada’s society
and the expectations of Canadians
and Canada’s economy
and business environment.
Statistics Canada is modernizing
every step of the cycle to
improve its products in support
of evidence-based policy.
Hon. Ramesh Sangha,
Member of Parliament,
Brampton Centre, in his remarks
lauded Statistics Canada’s
calibrated approach to
modernise its processes to
enable better public policy
decision making. StatCan
provides information on every
aspect of Canada’s society
and economy, he said.
Satish Thakkar, National
Convener, Canada India
Foundation, in his introductory
remarks, gave an overview
of the Foundation’s
objectives and discussed the
plans. “Our focus for the near
future includes a comprehensive
engagement with women,
senior and youth. CIF
will endeavour to influence
public policy by advocating
that alternative approaches
to medicine such as yoga and
meditation are incorporated
into the mainstream. Such
inclusion will benefit the
masses and effectively manage
the public expenditure
on healthcare,” Mr. Thakkar
said.
Pankaj Dave, Co-Convener,
Canada India Foundation,
while delivering the
thank you note, lauded Mr.
Arora’s effort at simplifying
statistics, a subject that
is often mired in confusion
and controversy. He then
invited all the participants
to celebrate the centenary of
Statistics Canada. Canada India
Foundation had ordered a
special centenary cake.