Minister Fast Encourages Canadian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Nanaimo and Victoria to 'Go Global'

News Release

Supporting and partnering with small and medium-sized enterprises to seize opportunities abroad is a key part of our pro-export, pro-jobs plan, says Minister Fast

April 24, 2015 - Nanaimo, British Columbia - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, alongside Marcus Ewert-Johns, Vice President of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters British Columbia, today hosted an export workshop designed to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the tools and practical information they need to take advantage of international business opportunities to export.

Today’s export workshop in Nanaimo—part of a cross-country series launched by Minister Fast in November 2014—was attended by more than 40 participants. To date, 17 workshops have been hosted across Canada, attracting more than 1,900 SME representatives.

In Nanaimo, Minister Fast also announced $60,275 in support of Marine Renewables Canada from the government’s Global Opportunities for Associations (GOA) program, to help their members expand abroad.

In Victoria, Minister Fast addressed the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, where he discussed Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2015, a balanced-budget, low-tax plan for jobs, growth and security. Prime Minister Harper recently announced a total of $50 million over five years in direct financial assistance to Canadian SMEs for market research and participation in trade missions. It is expected that this funding will help between 500 and 1,000 Canadian entrepreneurs per year reach their full export potential.

Also in Victoria, Minister Fast announced Invest Canada - Community Initiatives (ICCI) program funding of $11,000 for the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, in support of attracting job-creating investment.

The Harper Government is committed to creating the right economic environment to support and help grow Canadian businesses; this includes keeping taxes low and ensuring companies receive the full range of support and services from the government they need to find real export success in global markets, which creates jobs and opportunities for workers and their families here at home.

Minister Fast invited participants to join him on his upcoming trade mission to the Philippines, which will take place in May 2015.

The next export workshop will be held on May 1, 2015, in Vaughan, Ontario.

Quick Facts

One in five Canadian jobs is dependent on exports, representing 60 percent of the country’s economy.
Since 2006, the Harper Government has concluded trade agreement negotiations with 38 countries, bringing the total to 43 countries.
As a result of the concluded negotiations for a new trade agreement with the European Union and the entry into force of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement on January 1, 2015, Canadian businesses will soon benefit from preferential access to more than half of the entire global marketplace.
There are more than one million SMEs across Canada, with only 41,000 currently exporting. Under GMAP, the Harper Government set the goal of nearly doubling—from 11,000 to 21,000—the number of Canadian SMEs exporting to emerging markets.
The Go Global workshops are delivered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada and Canadian Commercial Corporation, in partnership with Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
Marine Renewables Canada heads an association representing companies developing an international industry to harvest renewable energy from rivers, tides and waves, and was approved for $60,275 in GOA funding to conduct supply chain development activities and collect market intelligence for France and the United Kingdom. The association will also lead a mission of 15 companies to the International Conference on Ocean Energy 2016 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
With the funding through ICCI, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce will:

develop a database and benchmark the region’s advanced manufacturing sector with peer cities;
develop a website and database to be aligned with the Greater Victoria Development Agency web portal, as part of a three-year foreign direct investment strategy allowing users to search Vancouver Island manufacturing companies based on size, location and competency.

Quotes

“Our government is committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises in British Columbia and across the country to seize export opportunities and create jobs.

“We are breaking down the silos between our export agencies, taking a whole-of-government approach to exporting and providing the tools, services and information that you and your businesses need to succeed.

“This government’s priority is the same as all Canadians’: jobs and economic growth. Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2015 is a balanced-budget, low-tax plan that will make our country more prosperous and more secure. By ensuring that Canada is a top destination for business investment and opening up new market opportunities around the world, we are creating jobs and prosperity here in British Columbia and across Canada.”

- Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade

Associated Links

Contacts

Max Moncaster
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade
343-203-7332

Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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2016-12-14

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Minister Fast Encourages Canadian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Nanaimo and Victoria to 'Go Global'

News Release

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