Prime Minister Narendra Modi Made History Last Night When He Addressed Indo-Canadians At The Ricoh Coliseum In Toronto, During The First Bilateral Visit To Canada By An Indian PM In Over 40 Years
Modi’s visit to Toronto marks part of his three-day trip to Canada following his prior visits to France and Germany — his longest foreign tour to date. The tour is an effort to broaden trade relationships in hopes of advancing India as an economic superpower and a workforce hub.
Modi arrived in Ottawa on Tuesday, where he sat with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and signed a uranium supply deal and agreed to offer tourist visas upon arrival for Canadians travelling to India. He met with banks and attended official dinners, but it was Wednesday’s address to the Indian diaspora in Toronto that was the most anticipated event of all — enough to mark the address as historic.
Fans and foes alike waited in anticipation for the Indian PM, who received a rock star reception leading up to his arrival on stage. Hosts of the night, ET Canada’s Sangita Patel and Shalini Dixit, kept the crowd entertained with amusing anecdotes in between elaborate bhangra and garba group performances.
Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh performed a medley of his songs that included “Jai Ho” from the smash hit Slumdog Millionaire. Then the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Multiculturalism and National Defence, hit the stage to introduce both PMs. Kenney made a point of honouring the two leaders, stating that since Harper’s election, 2,500 Indians have been granted Canadian citizenship. Kenney also referenced Modi’s winning the largest electoral mandate in history, Harper’s own opening of a trade office in Gujarat and Modi’s making the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM in 42 years.
Following the roar of cheers from the auditorium, local singer Shweta Subram took to the stage to sing both national anthems with Modi, Harper and Harper’s wife, Laureen Harper, clad in a navy sari, standing by.
Harper then went on to address the audience and welcome Modiji. In Harper’s speech discussing his desire for better trade with India as well as more investment and strengthened national security with the country, he dropped the big news of visas upon arrival in India for all Canadian visitors, which brought loud cheers from the audience.
What a perfect way to introduce the man who has been strategically working toward better relationships and a stronger link with the West than his predecessors had offered.
Modi, dressed in his native garb, spoke in Hindi to the Indo-Canadian audience and won them over by saying that he’ll never forget the love that Canada has shown him. He thanked Harper for the warm welcome and cleverly addressed his Sikh audience by wishing them a happy Vaisakhi.
Poised, eloquent and full of colourful examples, Modi was a total rock star as he opened up about his “clean-up” plan for India, boasted about India’s accolade as the first country to reach Mars on its first try, and cockily joked about his predecessors’ failure to advance the country and whip it into shape while he, in his short term so far, has accomplished more.
Modi vowed to help entrepreneurs build the world’s next Google and Microsoft in India and admitted that the Indian government has changed. But he went on to say that India’s people have also changed. He offered the examples of the rich giving up their entitlement to a cooking gas subsidy, saving the country money — the "Give It Up" campaign that the people themselves had taken on. Modi mentioned his new banking policy to help the poor rise above poverty with no minimum banking fees.
Modi also described his partnership with Canada as a long-term relationship. And the big announcement of the night? Modi’s goal to make India the workforce hub for the world come 2030 by eradicating the stigma of “scam India” and replacing it with a reputation as “skill India” — the job creator.
He used an analogy of the Indian flag with its four colours: “I want to bring four revolutions to India. Saffron is a colour of energy, and we must have an energy revolution in India.” Another memorable quote of the night: “80 crore youth, 80 crore dreams, 160 crore strong hands. What can we not achieve?”
What can viewers take away from the historic night? It's fair to say we can look forward to a long and prosperous partnership between both countries and an attempt to "clean up" India, currently at the coattails of China.
To relive the moment catch the entire event here: narendramodi.in/watch-live
Feature Image: PMO photo by Jason Ransom
Blog Images: event stills from pmmodivisit.ca/live
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