India proposes Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement with Canada following border deaths
New Delhi/Ottawa, Jan 28 (Agency) India has proposed a comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) to Canada, to prevent cases of illegal migration and human trafficking, following the tragic deaths in a blizzard of four Indians, including a child, a teenaged girl and their parents, at the Canada-US border last week in a case of illegal border crossing. “To prevent and suppress irregular migration, smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings and to facilitate sustainable and circular mobility, India has proposed a comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) to Canada, which remains under the consideration of the Canadian government,” the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said in a statement. India has already signed such an agreement with some other countries, including the UK and France.
“The MMPA Agreement is aimed at fostering mobility of students, academics, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthening cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides.” The four Indians who died in a blizzard at the Canada-US border last week belonged to one family, and their next of kin have been informed, the Indian government said. The Indian High Commission in Ottawa, in a press statement, said the four Indians whose bodies were recovered near the Canada-US border in Manitoba on 19 January 2022 have been identified as; Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, male, 39 yrs; Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, female, 37 yrs; Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, female, 11 yrs. and Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, male, 3 yrs. “All the four were Indian nationals. The next of kin of the deceased have been informed. The Consulate General of India in Toronto is in touch with the family of the deceased and is providing all consular support. The High Commission offers its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims,” it said.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, said: “Our Missions in Canada and USA have been following regularly this tragic case of death of four people whose bodies were recovered near the Canada-US border in Manitoba in Canada on 19 January.” He said that Canadian authorities have also informed that “based on the circumstances, the death of all the persons have been determined to be consistent with exposure to the outdoor elements.” Our High Commission in Ottawa and our Consulate General in Toronto are working closely with the Canadian authorities on all aspects of the investigation and providing consular services to the family of the deceased, he added. A special team, led by a senior consular officer from the Consulate General of India in Toronto, is camping in Manitoba to assist ongoing investigations by Canadian agencies and to render any consular services for the victims. “People-to-people relations are an important pillar of India-Canada bilateral relations. Canada is a preferred destination for Indian immigrants and students. India and Canada work together to ensure the safety and well-being of all Indian immigrants into Canada. The two countries have a regular consular dialogue which takes up issues related to migration and welfare of citizens in each other’s territories.
“On longer term issues that this tragedy has brought into focus is the need to ensure that migration and mobility are made safe and legal and that such tragedies do not recur. A number of ideas remain under discussion between India and Canada,” the Indian High Commission said. The four Indians froze to death in a blizzard while attempting an illegal crossing at the Canada-US border. The cause of death, exposure to cold, was formally confirmed on Thursday. The autopsies were completed on Wednesday and the RCMP informed Indian officials who notified the Patel’s family in India. Passports of the Patel family were found with their bodies, police said. The conditions during the prairie blizzard on January 19 night, when they perished, were extremely dangerous. The temperature hovered around -35C with blowing snow and bleak darkness along a remote route they were unfamiliar with. While seven Indians made it to safety after more than 11 hours of walking, the Patel family, however, got separated from the group in the night and didn’t even make it out of Canada. Their bodies were found about 12 metres inside the border. A Florida man has been arrested in the case of human smuggling.