Minister Bibeau highlights investments to help businesses access new markets and create good middle-class jobs in Quebec
News release
June 27, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises are the engines that drive economic prosperity and create jobs for the middle class. Opening new international markets and expanding existing ones are central to the Government of Canada’s trade diversification strategy, which aims to propel Canadian businesses to new markets, new customers and new jobs.
Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, was in Sherbrooke, Quebec, to highlight the $100-million expansion of the CanExport program. This funding program helps Canadian small and medium-sized companies access new export opportunities by diversifying into new markets.
Minister Bibeau met with employees from Exonetik, an innovative company that uses scientific research to design, develop and manufacture magnetorheological actuators and inside-out ceramic turbines. The company has leveraged both the CanExport program and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service to expand into markets abroad. Since 2018, Exonetik has received CanExport funding twice for a total of $63,000, which has helped the company access international markets.
The CanExport expansion is a key component of Canada’s trade diversification strategy, New Markets, New Customers, New Jobs, which invests $1.1 billion over six years to help Canadian companies succeed. With these investments, the government continues to make Canada the most well-connected trading economy worldwide while creating more jobs at home.
Quotes
“Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises are wealth and job creators supporting the middle class and those working hard to join it. The investments we are making today will further support Canadian businesses by connecting people, ideas and products to customers around the world.”
- Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
“Exonetik’s actuators and turbines result from the ingenious work of scientists from Sherbrooke University and will reach the market with the efforts of our hard-working team. This kind of collaboration is a fantastic way to bring emerging technologies to commercialization, for which support from various government programs is essential, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises like ours. Without this support, we would not be able to reach international clients easily while creating highly skilled jobs in our community, thereby helping to position Canada as a leading technological country.”
-Pascal Larose, Chief Executive Officer, Exonetik
Quick facts
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The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced investments of $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 Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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To date, the CanExport program has supported more than 1,200 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises with 1,600 projects to expand their markets and increase their export activities in more than 110 markets around the world.
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In the Estrie region of Quebec, the CanExport program has supported 22 projects since January 2016, totalling $744,000. CanExport funding for small and medium-sized enterprises in Quebec since 2016 is $19.6 million, supporting 620 projects across the province.
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The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced investments of $290 million over five years to help Canadian businesses export and grow and to strengthen the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and enhance the support it provides to Canadian exporters.
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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