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Though ties between Canada and India have been through several rocky patches in recent years, the phone call between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, can and should serve as the turning point in the often-strained relationship.
The two leaders agreed to work together on access to COVID-19 vaccines and recognized the need for continued global co-ordination to respond to the pandemic. Since the two countries have more in common than they have differences, India is the perfect partner for Canada when it comes to recovering from the pandemic and realizing Canada’s interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
In January this year, the Delhi High Court directed the Union Government to finalise and operationalise the new National Health Policy for Rare Diseases by 31 March 2021. However, this year’s budget made no new allocation for such a plan. Rare diseases, as the name suggests, are health conditions that have a very low prevalence. At first glance, it might seem to be a marginal issue which affects a handful of people, but there are more than 7,000 diagnosed rare diseases in the world and over 350 million individuals suffer from them, with nearly one-fifth in India.
Despite the fact that globally, the total number of people with rare diseases surpasses the population of the United States, efforts to properly diagnose and treat these conditions have been lagging. The small pool of patients has remained an impediment for drug and treatment development. The term “orphan diseases” is often used for these as less than five percent of rare diseases have treatment therapies available, m
Ottawa’s Support for India’s Farm Protests Dampen Indo-Canada Relations
Canadian politicians more interested in winning votes than supporting Indian farmers, say analysts
News Analysis
Canada’s relations with India a strategic democratic ally have taken a hit due to comments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made regarding Indian farmers protesting agricultural reforms. The timing of the diplomatic spat is very poor as is how it reflects on Canada’s skill in conducting its foreign relations, some observers of Indian origin in Canada say.
Speaking on Dec. 1 to celebrate the birth of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Trudeau weighed in on the farmers’ protests, saying “The situation is concerning.”