Dear OFIC members,

Greetings of the Summer season!!

I, on behalf of the Steering Committee, want to share an important update with you with regard to one of our new initiatives. With the reset of the diplomatic relationship between Canada & India – we are finally beginning to see very positive movements and at a rapid pace in the future path of the Canada – India relations.

During our Annual General Meeting held on 7^th March there were discussions on our priorities and work focus for 2026 and beyond. One area that emerged strongly is Canada-India Partnerships and the role OFIC can play in lending a helping hand to move this  forward. The proposal brought forward by Mr. Rajesh Tyagi and endorsed by nearly all those present is based on detailed research and analysis done some years ago on this very subject following up on then visit of the Prime Minister of India to Canada.

A provisional Sterring Committee comprising of those who volunteered to serve on it met on 21 & 29 April 2026 and had very fruitful discussions. It was agreed that OFIC should go forward on the basis of its USP – to convene and provide a neutral platform for all players to meet and explore specific pathways to carry forward partnerships. It was recognized that on the Indian side one of the key actors here will be the High Commission of India in Canada with whom OFIC has strong partnership.  On the Canadian side Global Affairs Canada (Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is leading the way. OFIC expects to leverage an outreach to them. Through them OFIC will expand its outreach to other specialized government and more particularly non-government/ private sector entities to make meaningful contributions.

On June 4^th, 2026, Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC), in collaboration with Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO), under the guidance of Mr. Manish Sharma, and the High Commission of India in Canada (Ottawa), organized a high-level business and trade event at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University. The discussion focused on the proposed Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the shared objective of doubling bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030. This aligns with the broader commitment by both countries to deepen economic engagement and expand trade and investment opportunities. The OFIC Steering Committee for this initiative included Mr. Shiv Bhasker, (President) Mr. Murali Balasubramaniam, and Rajesh Tyagi, Director of the Canada India Partnership Program and founder of Welkomely Immigration Inc.

It was recognized that the following areas of priority can serve as a basis for consideration by OFIC. These areas include but not limited to:

• Trade and Investment
• Innovation & Technologies (including AI & Smart Cities)
• Energy Cooperation
• Movement of Professionals
• FinTech
• Video gaming industry

I am happy to share this above update with you all and invite those members who have specific interest in this body of work to come forward to share their comments and help the Committee move forward.  I invite all interested parties to complete the online form and indicate the nature of their interest.

The Canada – India Partnership Steering Committee with Mr. Rajesh Tyagi as the Convenor & Mr. Balasubramaniam Murali as co-Convenor has been tasked to take this work forward and I will participate in this important initiative myself and will keep you all updated as we go forward.

With best regards,
Shiv Bhaskar
President