Canada and India have recently solidified a "fresh agreement" aimed at enhancing air connectivity between the two nations, with a special focus on accommodating the desires of the Sikh community, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reassured during his address at the Khalsa Day Parade in downtown Toronto.
Trudeau emphasized the significance of fostering closer ties between the countries to facilitate easier travel for Canadians wishing to visit their loved ones in India, acknowledging the importance of adding more flights and routes, including to destinations like Amritsar.
The bilateral agreement, which builds upon the open skies agreement reached in November 2022, signifies a substantial step forward in air transport cooperation between Canada and India.
"This significant move will allow airlines of Canada and India to better respond to the needs of the Canada-India air transport market. Going forward, officials of both countries will remain in contact to discuss further expansion of the agreement," the Canadian government said in a release on November 14, 2022.
While Air India already has a huge number of weekly flights to Toronto and Vancouver from Delhi, the demand for direct flights to Amritsar had caught the attention of the public with calls for Air Canada to include the flight amongst its route services.
Building on this, Trudeau promised to uphold the rights and freedoms of Sikhs in Canada and condemned the wave of discrimination and hate faced by the community.
The Khalsa Day Parade was a colorful celebration of the Sikh New Year and the diversified history of Sikh communities that drew thousands of people downtown in Toronto. Here, he recognized Sikh Heritage Month, paying acknowledgment to the irreplaceable contributions made by Sikh Canadians to history and up to date in the pursuit of a better tomorrow. He highlighted the common history of the Sikh community and Canada's pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.
For example, Trudeau undertakes a promise to provide security and improvements on infrastructures, especially the community centers and places of worship. This is considered an effort made by the government in the name of securing the safety and well-being of its citizens—the Sikh heritage in this case. The ongoing Indian-Canada animosity in the past is surpassed by Trudeau's speech wherein he renews the promise of the government to have better relations and mutual respect between the two nations.
Read also | Elon Musk Expresses Admiration for China and its People
