By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Nov 8, 2023 | 10:10 AM

Business leaders continue to deal with the economic uncertainty around the Canadian and Indian governments, saying the suspension of free trade talks hurts both sides.

The heads of several commercial groups said the souring relationship marks a major hurdle to boosting bilateral trade beyond last year’s $20.9 billion in goods and services and deters Indian students from studying in Canada.

Relations between the two countries eroded after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on Sept. 18 that New Delhi may have been involved in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh independence activist.

In response, the Indian government suspended visa services for Canadian citizens and revoked diplomatic immunity from Canadian diplomats, prompting two-thirds of them to leave the country.

Canada India Foundation chair Satish Thakkar said cancelling the trade talks didn’t make sense given the potential loss to both parties, and believes the higher tensions mark the lowest point in Canada-India relations since the 1970s.

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Victor Thomas, who heads the Canada-India Business Council, said the resulting uncertainty has derailed some Indian students who were mulling post-secondary education in Canada, a talent pool that makes up the largest slice of the country’s international student body at 40 per cent.

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Saskatoon, Sask. will host Farm Credit Canada’s first Food and Beverage Summit on Wednesday.

The event brings together food and beverage industry experts and businesses of all sizes to learn about AI, cyber security, branding, storytelling and mentorship in the food and beverage sector.

The main presentation will include a fireside chat featuring Peter Chapman from SKU Foods and Jana Sobey, senior vice-president of fresh merchandising at Sobeys.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) has welcomed Mathieu Rouleau as the new executive director.

Rouleau brings a combination of leadership, agriculture, and finance experience to the role. While working in the finance sector, he co-founded École-O-Champ, a non-profit organization dedicated to agricultural education and AITC-C’s member organization in Quebec.

In his new role with AITC-C, Rouleau will focus on implementing a new three-year strategic plan and continuing to build strong relationships with the agriculture and food industry to allow AITC-C to grow and thrive.

With a background deeply rooted in agriculture, Rouleau grew up on a dairy, cash crop and maple syrup farm and holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics, agricultural business and agronomy from McGill University.

Rouleau stared his new duties yesterday.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW