Mr. Speaker, in earlier comments I had the opportunity to address the Canada-India relationship, the quality of which has been squarely put at issue by the opposition in debate on this motion. I was at the point of discussing the Rohingya crisis and the Canada-India relationship with respect to the plight of the Rohingya.

Several local organizations in my riding, including the Islamic Society of North America and the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada, are justifiably alarmed over the treatment of ethnic and religious minority groups in Myanmar. Canada, India, and the international community at large cannot stand idly by as this situation continues to destabilize and innocent Rohingya lives are put at risk. We do not want a repeat of what happened in Rwanda or Darfur.

In addition to its regional importance, India is also a major actor globally, with a strong and influential presence in the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the Non-Aligned Movement, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Commonwealth, the G20, the BRICS International Forum, and other important elements of global architecture. As the opposition well knows, these are institutions where Canada also plays a key role, providing opportunities for Canada and India to act together.

It is therefore not surprising that during his visit to India, our Prime Minister engaged his counterpart on a wide range of topics of concern at the global level. These include climate change, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral and international co-operation to address climate change and secure a clean energy future, for example in commitments to promote the implementation of the Paris agreement. They urged research institutions and industry in both countries to collaborate to promote greater use of solar technology, acknowledging that renewable energy is a pathway to a low-carbon and more sustainable energy system. The two prime ministers also agreed to add renewables and energy efficiency to the agenda of the regular Canada-India ministerial energy dialogues.

On peacekeeping, the two leaders affirmed the benefits of co-operation to provide an effective response to global challenges. In that context, they stressed the importance of integrating gender perspectives into peace and security activities and interventions in line with the international women, peace, and security agenda, including prevention of conflict-related sexual violence. Canada has a long history in peacekeeping, while India has long been one of the top contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping operations, so there is much that we have done and can do to co-operate bilaterally, for example on training.

The national security challenges facing Canada and India are different in type and in intensity, but they have many factors and many elements in common. Thus, enhanced co-operation between our two countries where interests overlap is another area of potential benefit. The leaders welcomed the agreement on a bilateral framework for co-operation on counter-terrorism. At the same time, our Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi agreed to develop bilateral co-operation in other security fields, including defence interactions and cybersecurity.

India and Canada share significant structures, values, and goals, including a democratic political framework, a pluralistic society, and a basic commitment to a global order dedicated to security, prosperity, and respect for internationally agreed-upon norms and rules.

On that basis, it is very much in Canada's interest to seek out areas where we can work more closely with India to—

Sven Spengemann

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