Canada's opposition leader Andrew Scheer has said that he plans to visit India to try to "repair and strengthen" bilateral ties six months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "disastrous" state visit to the country "damaged" the relations.
Conservative Leader Scheer will take his team to India for nine days in October. He has plans to meet with senior government officials, business leaders and civil society and faith leaders, in a bid to shore up support among Canada's large Indian diaspora ahead of next year's general election here.
The legislative elections in Canada are due to take place on October 21, 2019 and Trudeau announced he will run for re-election.
"Standing with a united India is Canada's gateway to unprecedented human and economic development, and an essential alliance for Canada to strengthen in the face of shared threats," Scheer was quoted as saying by the Global News.
He also praised India for being the world's largest democracy and having one of the fastest-growing economies, saying the country "in recent years is transforming into a rising power in the vast Indo-Pacific region and beyond."
"A Conservative government will dramatically expand the strategic relationship between our countries and our peoples and advance our shared security, prosperity and values. Unfortunately, Trudeau's disastrous trip to India damaged this key relationship and we must now work to repair it."