Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urged Canada to invest in Bangladesh to help rebuild the country in view of the economic mess created by the ousted autocratic regime.
He made the request when Canadian high commissioner in Dhaka Lilly Nicholls called on him at the state guest house Jamuna in the city.
Yunus recalled his long relationship with Canada, including its top politicians and development agencies, and said that his story had been included in the Canadian school textbooks.
He said that the interim government needed Canadian support to boost economic growth in Bangladesh.
鈥榃e need big investment,鈥� the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing quoted Yunus as saying.
The chief adviser said that the interim government inherited an economy, which was in total mess with a huge amount of debt being accumulated.
鈥極ur first priority is to fix the economy,鈥� he said. He said that the government was also restoring vital institutions broken by the previous regime and was 鈥榖ringing order and clarity in governance.鈥�
During the meeting, the Canadian high commissioner said that her government was ready to support the chief adviser and the interim government of Bangladesh.
Canada would be keen to boost food security in Bangladesh by supplying fertilisers and essential commodities, she added.
Lilly said that Bangladesh must ensure labour rights in factories to continue to enjoy trade preferences from the North American country.
Yunus said that his government would uphold labour rights 鈥榓t par with the ILO (International Labour Organisation) standards鈥� to address concerns of the brands which purchase clothing from Bangladesh and international investors.
Lilly said that Canada was also interested in supporting the UN fact-finding mission on its move to establish justice and accountability on the massacre committed in Bangladesh in July and August.
Yunus said that the students-led revolution had ushered in a new era of hope for the country. 鈥楾hese are historical opportunities. These chances may never come back,鈥� he said.
He said that important electoral reforms would be carried out before the country went to vote. Under the previous government, 鈥榯he election commission was turned into an election manipulation commission,鈥� he said.
The Canadian envoy expressed her 鈥榙eep concern鈥� over the security situation in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh鈥檚 southeast and escalating violence affecting the Rohingyas living in Myanmar鈥檚 Rakhine state.
She said that Canada had contributed more than $600 million for Rohingya humanitarian responses and called for livelihood opportunities for the Rohingya people.
The chief adviser called for easing overcrowding in the Rohingya camps by relocating some Rohingyas from the Coz鈥檚 Bazar camps. He said that his government would do its best to provide hope to the Rohingya young people.
