Canada: Defense trade with India nearly collapsed due to clearance delays | World news
One of the first major defense deals between a Canadian company and the Indian Armed Forces after the announcement of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, came close to being canceled due to delays in approval from Ottawa.
The Current Science Center, based in Port Coquitlam in the province of British Columbia, has signed a CA$5 million contract with the Indian Navy, under which they will deliver the optical systems to the navy on Thursday. However, the company has been waiting for five months for a response from Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, to get an export permit before shipping the first shipment to India.
The permit only came hours before the deadline after the National Post reported on the company’s crisis, quoting company CEO Greg Menzies as saying, “I never expected that I would have so many challenges with this export permit.”
The permit finally came hours before the deadline after the National Post media reported on the company’s crisis, quoting company CEO Greg Menzies as saying, “I never expected that I would have so many challenges with the permit this country.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Science now told Hindustan Times that permission has finally been granted. Menzies received a call late Thursday evening to confirm the license had been received.
“We have been working for a very long time to open a business in India,” Menzies previously told the National Post.
He added that in the 20 years he has been in the business, he has only once been denied an export license, and there has been no response from Global Affairs Canada to multiple messages.
“We have a stable agreement and agreement for trade – we are friends with India, this should not be the case,” he said.
The Science Center is currently developing electro-optical infrared systems. According to their website, currently “multi-sensor camera systems are installed worldwide on ships in a variety of fields, including the coast guard, large ships, paramilitary & navy, ships- small water & explorer ships, icebreakers, marine mammal research, and other special vessels. “and “ground-based systems deployed globally for use in coastal surveillance.”
The spokesperson was not able to reveal the details of the equipment for the Indian Navy due to the terms of the contract.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy announced in November described India as “a critical partner in Canada’s pursuit” of its goals in the region.
