Minister Champagne in Toronto to highlight remarkable trade opportunities and benefits with key stakeholders
News release
May 24, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
Canada is rapidly connecting more hard-working Canadians and their families to more opportunities to grow their businesses and create well-paying jobs through trade. We believe robust, rules based, international trade is a key driver of economic growth for a prosperous middle class.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, will visit the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) on May 24 and 25, 2018, to continue his dialogue with Canadians on the Government's progressive trade and trade diversification agendas. The Minister will meet with business leaders from across the GTA to promote the benefits and opportunities from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the recently signed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The Minister will also consult with key stakeholders regarding the ongoing negotiations with Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance, two of Latin America’s largest regional trade organizations.
On May 24, Minister Champagne will participate in the opening of Samsung’s artificial intelligence (AI) lab at the MaRS Discovery District, which will leverage Canada’s unique R&D and machine learning expertise. That evening, the Minister will attend the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario’s annual Business Excellence Awards ceremony.
On May 25, the Minister will engage with local manufacturers at a round table hosted by the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce. He will then visit the headquarters of Magna International Inc., a Canadian automotive manufacturer, before spending the afternoon with representatives of local small and medium-sized businesses and Vaughan community leaders to highlight Canada’s progressive trade agenda and the strong people-to-people ties between Canada and Italy.
Quotes
“There has never been a better time for hard-working Canadians to take advantage of new opportunities through landmark trade agreements. Now is the time to seize these new opportunities and reach new ambitious goals whether as a first-time exporter or opening a new market. There has never been a better time to diversify, and Canada is rapidly connecting Canadian businesses to more markets in more countries.”
- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade
Quick facts
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With CETA’s provisional application, on September 21, 2017, 98 percent of Canadian and EU tariff lines became duty-free, creating new opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.
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The CPTPP will provide new opportunities for Ontario exporters by eliminating tariffs on almost all of the province’s key exports to CPTPP markets, including crops like wheat, communications technologies, and minerals like diamonds and nickel.
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Mercosur, also known as the Southern Cone Common Market, is a customs union established by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991. Together, Mercosur’s members have a GDP of Can$3.2 trillion and a population of 260 million people.
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The Pacific Alliance is a regional initiative created in 2011 by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru that seeks the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. With a combined GDP of $2.4 trillion and nearly 221 million inhabitants, the Pacific Alliance constitutes an important market for Canada.
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