Parliamentary Secretary Alghabra visits Halifax to highlight new investments that will benefit local communities and businesses
News release
April 23, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
As the best country in the G20 for doing business, Canada continues to focus on expanding into new markets while attracting job-creating investments to local communities. As part of its trade diversification strategy, Canada is connecting Canadian businesses to new markets, new customers and new jobs.
Today, Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification, joined Michael Savage, Mayor of Halifax, at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market where Mr. Alghabra encouraged small and medium-sized businesses to explore new opportunities in overseas markets with the help of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS). He outlined how the 2018 Fall Economic Statement invested $290 million over five years to strengthen the TCS and enhance the support it provides Canadian businesses, including $100 million over six years to reinforce the CanExport program.
While in Halifax, Parliamentary Secretary Alghabra met with representatives of the Halifax Partnership, which has received CanExport-Community Investments funding to attract job-creating foreign direct investment to the Halifax region. He then toured the facilities of Survival Systems Holdings Ltd., a Halifax-based company that has been exporting its simulators and training products for survival in ocean emergencies for over 30 years.
Parliamentary Secretary Alghabra participated in a round table with representatives of Saint Mary’s University to highlight the importance of the government’s investments in international education and of Canada’s international education strategy, which reaffirm Canada’s standing as a high-calibre place to study and do research.
Quotes
“The business community in Halifax is well-connected and flexible, with fantastic access to international markets. By pursuing trade diversification and continuing to invest in local communities, we continue to promote Canada as a place of business that is open to the world.”
-Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification
Quick facts
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Through its trade diversification strategy, the government will invest $1.1 billion over six years to help Canadian businesses grow and diversify their exports.
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The 2018 Fall Economic Statement invests $100 million over six years to reinforce the CanExport program and related funding programs so that more Canadian businesses can explore new overseas markets, especially high-growth emerging markets and markets benefiting from free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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These investments complement Canada’s efforts to diversify its trade through 14 trade agreements to 51 countries with nearly 1.5 billion consumers and a combined GDP of more than US$50 trillion.
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To date, the CanExport program has supported more than 1,200 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises with 1,500 projects to expand their markets and increase export activities in more than 110 markets around the world.
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Since 2016, the CanExport – Community Investments program has funded 148 organizations across Canada with over $16 million to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment.
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Over the past four years, communities in Nova Scotia have received a total of $370,000 from the CanExport – Community Investments program, which helps Canadian communities attract, retain, and expand foreign investments.
Associated links
Contacts
Isabella Brisson-Urdaneta
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Trade Diversification
343-203-7332
Isabella.Brisson-Urdaneta@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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