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Global Citizenship

Building Bridges: The Role of the Indian Diaspora in Canada


In 2007, the Foundation provided a grant to the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University to undertake a research study on the Indo-Canadian diaspora. Called Building Bridges: The Role of the Indian Diaspora in Canada, the project aims to develop a deeper understanding of the current state of India-Canada relations and the prospects for deepening those relationships. The final report from this project was launched December 19, 2008, in Toronto.

C. Raja Mohan writes in Foreign Affairs (July/August 2006) that "after disappointing itself for decades, India is now on the verge of becoming a great power". Canada once had a special relationship with India in the immediate postwar years, when India first gained its independence and Canada gave the new Republic sustained support within the Commonwealth. In recent decades, that relationship has diminished, so that today, despite the large Indian diaspora in Canada, the two countries are friendly, but neither sees the relationship as central.
High Commissioner Rajamani Lakshmi Narayan and
Thomas Axworthy Oct. 25, 2007

An extensive literature review of Canadian and Indian research on contemporary Indian diaspora in Canada and the implications for Canada-India relations has been completed and reveals that the Indo-Canadian diaspora has the potential to provide an important node in a global network of Indian diasporas. With both social and economic links with their home country as well as Canada, there is a significant role that Indo-Canadians can play at political, social, cultural and economic levels nationally and internationally.

The final case study, authored by retired Indian Ambassador to Canada, CSD Fellow Kant Bhargava and J.C. Sharma, provides a nuanced picture of the current state and future potential of India-Canada relations. The case study is based on the input of the Indian intellectual community in Canada while at the same time finding ways to approach the much larger and widespread groups of the diaspora communities through their local associations. Informed by the literature review, CSD conducted an on-line survey of Indo-Canadians and one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions with prominent community leaders in both countries.

Based on this bilateral research,the final report makes 16 policy recommendations that address the following:

  1. Changes to visa and immigration policies;
  2. Greater recognition of Indian credentials;
  3. The fostering of links between Canada and India in higher education;
  4. Investment in youth and second-generation Indo-Canadians;
  5. Encouragement of Diasporic civic engagement;
  6. The building of better relationships between the Indo-Canadian Diaspora and Canadian media;
  7. The need for greater support for the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, and support for Diaspora-related studies;
  8. The forging of working relationships with key private sector organizations in India;
  9. The establishment of a Canada-India group to catalyze comprehensive partnerships;
  10. The promotion of Indo-Canadian engagement in political and social matters;
  11. Greater interaction between Canada-India Parliamentary Association, MPs and MPPs of Indian origin;
  12. The establishment of a national federation of Indo-Canadian institutions;
  13. The convening of a roundtable of all Indo-Canadian institutions and a national convention of Canada's Indian Diaspora in Canada in 2010;
  14. Expedited development of teaching cases to enhance India-Canada exchange at all levels;
  15. The value of conducting a study on the Canadian Diaspora in India;
  16. The monitoring of the implementation of recommendations.
Kant Bhargava describes 'Building Bridges: The Role of the Indian Diaspora in Canada'
to a Queen's University audience October 2007

The results provide a vital input into deepening our understanding of issues and concerns that are fundamental to the goal of building bridges as well as motivating and mobilizing groups to participate in activities that will enhance the prospects for that goal.

The research activities have been enhanced by the extensive network that CSD's Fellow and project lead, Kant Bhargava, Indian Ambassador (Retired), brings to the project. He has garnered support for the project in India from: the Canadian High Commissioner; the India International Centre; the Shastri Indo Canadian Institute (SICI); and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. In Canada, CSD has the support of: the Indian High Commissioner; the SICI in Calgary; the Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Association; the School of Business and the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

The literature review, Building Bridges: The Role of the Indian Diaspora in Canada, executive summary, and full report are now available on-line.

A Toronto Sun article profiling the research project can be found on the web site of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, as well as a recent Toronto Star article by CSD Chair Tom Axworthy on the importance of building bridges across cultures to undermine terror networks.