Canada Calling: Land of opportunities for SMEs

BANGALORE, INDIA: Canada is often perceived as an exotic place for holidaying, but on the contrary, it is fast becoming a place for global innovation. At a time when Indian companies are having dynamic influence globally, Ontario in Canada is walking that extra mile to achieve competitive advantage by establishing a long-term business relationship with India.

Aaron Rosland, Ontario International Marketing Centre Shouldering the responsibility of hand holding Indian companies, especially SMEs, seize investment opportunities in Ontario is Aaron Rosland, the Counsellor (Commercial - Ontario), head of the Ontario International Marketing Centre in India.

With a mandate to raise the profile of Ontario in India, IMC facilitates bi-lateral trade and investment between India and Ontario, promotes Ontario products and services, facilitates meetings between Ontario suppliers and Indian buyers.

If access to innovation, business eco-system and tax credits are what SMEs are looking for, they have every reason to go to Ontario. And, they can draw some inspiration from companies like Subex and Zylog which have already established a firm base there. Mahindra Satyam has

announced a research centre in collaboration with the University of Waterloo. Tech Mahindra has a research centre in Toronto.

In an interaction with Preeti S of CIOL, Aaron Rosland said that both countries have lots to learn from each other and the best part of he being in India is that he acts as a link between SMEs and Canadian government. "SMEs can approach me anytime about anything. We want them to know business opportunities offered by Ontario," he says.

Excerpts:

CIOL: Business environment in Ontario and India are completely different. How do you think SMEs can cope with it?
Aaron: It's a challenge for any company doing international business. It's about understanding the rhythms of requirements and expectations. Addressing those challenges is the fundamental motive of IMC. We are well placed to help companies, navigate them through different requirements.

I want to tell Indian SMEs that I am in Delhi to handhold them to do business in Ontario. Over the five years, there has been a significant 70 pc increase in trade between the two countries, thanks to a strong Indo-Canadian population. With over 8000 Indo-Canadian population, Indian investments in Canada has been extremely positive experience for Indians. Still, lots can be done through connections with academicians, industry and government.

CIOL: What sort of help can SMEs expect once they are in Ontario?
Aaron: We are working on a programme to help Indian companies easily go into the market. We introduce them to colleges and universities where they can access talent and we connect them.

Universities actually help recruit students or graduates and take them through the whole process of recruitment. We work with the companies planning to come to Ontario to establish their presence connecting with buyers, helping them select locations, etc. We also provide information on human resources, plans for accounting etc.

The help is available at all levels starting from provincial government. Municipal offices have officers dedicated to help these companies. The nice thing of having me in Delhi is I am the link between Indian companies and Canadian government. So, they can approach me anytime and I would see that they take it forward. It is the way to develop international business. And mainly it's free of cost.

CIOL: Cost has always been a major concern for Indian SMEs, how do you help them cope with it?
Aaron: Cost is a challenge when you come from a place where you can access best talent at lower cost and you move to a country like Canada that has world-class talent but is more expensive, obviously than India.

That is why we have tax credits to reduce labour costs for companies. We know we can't compete against India, but we are competing against other jurisdictions that have market that Indian companies want to tap into but find it expensive.

It's about understanding what assistance is available. More than cost it is about quality and support. It comes down to innovation and research and eco-system that people want to be part of and to stimulate more ideas and global leadership.