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Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall can repair relations with India, say premiers

Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall can repair relations with India, say premiers

Calgary Herald19-06-2025
OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe agree that Moe's predecessor Brad Wall is the right man to repair Canada-India relations, amidst news that Canada will soon be sending a new high commissioner to New Delhi.
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'I'd be supportive of that,' said Smith when asked on Wednesday about the prospect of Wall becoming Canada's next high commissioner to India.
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'I think that Saskatchewan has done incredibly impressive work on expanding its footprint internationally through its trade offices, in particular India,' she added.
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Moe was quick to echo Smith's sentiments, hinting that Wall could possibly aim even higher than being Canada's envoy to the emerging Asian superpower.
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'I would also be a proponent for (Wall) to be not only high commissioner to India but essentially the face and the voice for many of Canada's foreign relations,' said Moe.
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'We'll see what his answer is to that,' Moe joked.
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The two Prairie premiers were speaking at a press conference in Lloydminister, Sask., after a joint caucus meeting.
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Moe praised Wall for building inroads to India and other emerging markets during his tenure as Saskatchewan's premier, between 2007 and 2018.
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'Why I would be a proponent of (Wall's) to be high commissioner to India is because of the effort and focus that he provided … to those province to nation relations, and province to industry relations in not just India but in many countries around the world,' said Moe.
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Wall became the province's first premier to visit India in 2011 and led a second trade mission in 2014.
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Saskatchewan's exports to India were valued at $1.3 billion in 2023, a 52 per cent jump from the midpoint of Wall's tenure in 2013.
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The province now produces more than a quarter of Canada's total exports to India, while being home to just three per cent of the country's population.
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