9 September 2016: During an official visit to India, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources James Gordon Carr met with Indian ministers in charge of different aspects of the energy sector. In a joint statement released at the conclusion of the visit, the two countries outline their vision for energy cooperation moving forward. They agree to combat climate change in the context of the Paris Agreement, and to align energy policies in pursuit of expanding energy access and low-carbon, sustainable growth.

Reflecting on their long history of political, technological and economic partnership, as well as progress made in existing cooperative energy-related initiatives, the statement looks toward enhanced energy cooperation, including through two-way trade and for sustainable development. Referring to the Paris Agreement, both countries acknowledge the “urgent need to take action to combat climate change through innovation and deployment of low-carbon solutions.”

As per the statement, the countries’ goals include creating an institutional framework for ongoing and future energy cooperation, including with the private sector, research organizations and regulators. Further, both sides “agree to consider expanding the scope of their future bilateral dialogues to cover other areas of energy such as electricity and renewables; energy efficiency, clean technology and innovation; and civil nuclear energy.”

Looking ahead, the statement indicates that India and Canada will create an action plan toward realizing concrete steps on cooperative energy projects. It further indicates the intention to expand the Energy Dialogue that was established in 2013 between the two countries, to cover the full spectrum of energy issues. Senior officials from both countries will meet on an annual basis and sherpas will convene periodically to develop the action plan and monitor progress, according to the statement. [Joint Statement on Enhancing the Canada-India Energy Dialogue]