India, Canada can work together to foster inclusion and diversity: Canadian High Commissioner

Aamir H Kaki

Canada’s High Commissioner to India Nader Patel said on Friday that can work together to foster inclusion and respect for diversity.

“There are several ways that Canada and India are working together and can work together to foster inclusion and respect for diversity not only in our respective countries but around the world,” Patel said, while delivering the keynote address at a media workshop on ‘Diversity & Inclusion’, organised by High Commission of Canada in New Delhi.

“Canada and India have much in common. We are multi-aspect, multi-lingual, multi-religious and culturally diversified countries,” he added.

He said that diversity has economic benefits also and these economic benefits can lead to social parity.

Citing a study, he said, “By advancing women’s equality, $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025.”

“We are not successful because of our diversity but we want to do more and leverage our diversity as an asset because we feel it is empirical. We feels that it will bring prosperity for all the Canadians,” the High Commissioner said.

He said that he feels that technology plays a vital role and is a powerful tool to enable in inclusion and respect for diversity.

Commending the role of media in spreading awareness about diversity, he said, “Media plays an extremely important role in bringing awareness inclusion and respect for diversity.”

The workshop saw participation from various panelists and representatives from leading media houses, academics and social activists from India as well as abroad.