OTTAWA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on February 10.
The two leaders had an exchange on their respective efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, protect the health and safety of their people, and provide economic support for their citizens.
Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Modi spoke about India’s significant efforts in promoting vaccine production and supply, which have provided vital support to countries around the world.
The two leaders agreed to work together on access to vaccines. The leaders also recognized the need for continued global coordination to respond to the pandemic and to promote recovery.
The two prime ministers reaffirmed their common interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the importance of working together on global challenges such as climate change, strengthening global trade, and reinforcing the rules-based international order.
The leaders discussed Canada and India’s commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue. They underlined the need to work collectively in rebuilding a more sustainable and resilient global economy.
The leaders underscored the importance of the Canada-India strategic partnership anchored in shared values, strong people-topeople ties, and growing bilateral economic cooperation.
The two leaders looked forward to working together at the G7, G20, and other international forums.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Modi’s office said that he had received a call from Canadian Prome Minister Justin Trudeau who spoke about Canada’s requirements of COVID-19 vaccines from India. Modie assured the Canadian PM that India would do its best to support Canada’s vaccination efforts, just as it had done for many other countries already.
Modi thanked Trudeau for his sentiments regarding India’s vaccine production and global distribution efforts The leaders looked forward to meeting each other in various important international fora later this year, and continuing their discussions on all issues of mutual interest.
The call, which lasted nearly half an hour, was described as “positive”.
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Trudeau’s call to Modi took place days after a video of Conservative Opposition MP Michelle Rempel Garner quizzing sitting Procurement Minister Anita Anand over contacting India to procure COVID-19 vaccines for the country went viral on social media.
Rempel Garner, who is also the Shadow Minister of Health, asked if Ottawa had reached out to Prime Minister Modi for vaccines. At that time, Anita Anand did not respond to the question. Garner has now quoted her own tweet and wrote, “Update: after this exchange, Trudeau called Narendra Modi. Thank you to the Indian government for taking the call! Opposition political pressure works.”
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Last week, Indian Anurag Srivastava said India had given about 5.5 millioin doses of Coronavirus vaccines under grants assistance to a number of countries while 10 million doses were sent under commercial supplies. Indian media reported that dispatch of shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada is believed to be “imminent” and awaiting emergency-use authorization by public health authorities in Canada.
The vaccines are manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers. Verity Pharmaceuticals, a firm based in Mississauga, is believed to be working with SII for the imports, the New Delhi-based Hindustan Times reported.
CARICOM – the community of Caribbean countries has thanked Modi for the donation of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. “This is a tangible expression of goodwill in this challenging time,” said Ambassadir Irwin LaRocque Secretary-General CARICOM