Trade News for Canadian Executives

Monthly trade news summary

July 2009

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Minister Day in Saudi Arabia and Jordan

On June 27 and 28, 2009, Minister Day travelled to Saudi Arabia and Jordan to promote Canadian companies as world-class suppliers of quality goods and services. While in Jordan, he signed the legal texts of a free trade agreement, related agreements on labour cooperation and the environment, and a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement at a ceremony with his counterpart, Jordan’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Amer Hadidi.

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Minister Day attends OECD and WTO meetings

On June 25 and 26, 2009, Minister Day travelled to France to meet with Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and World Trade Organization partners as well as France's Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Anne-Marie Idrac. During his meetings, Minister Day strongly reiterated Canada’s calls to keep markets open and resist the temptation of protectionism.

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Trade mission to Russia

Minister Day led a four-day infrastructure trade mission to Russia to showcase Canadian expertise in the infrastructure sector and promote two-way trade and investment. He also met with Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Viktor Zubkov, with whom he signed a joint statement on a range of commercial initiatives. Furthermore, Minister Day marked International Olympic Day and officially opened the offices of SNC-Lavalin in Sochi, future home of the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

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Canada - Peru Free Trade Agreement

The legislation to implement Canada's free trade agreement with Peru was adopted by Parliament and received Royal Assent. This agreement will benefit Canadian companies by eliminating tariffs on goods, promoting two-way investment and expanding access for Canadian companies in this key market.

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Conference of Montreal

Minister Day delivered a speech at the 15th annual International Economic Forum of the Americas/Conference of Montreal. He also met with EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton to discuss the Canada-EU comprehensive economic and trade agreement. This first meeting represents a solid step toward the conclusion of the agreement.

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New joint science and technology initiatives between Canada and India

Minister Day announced funding for four new Canada-India science and technology projects worth $6.7 million. All four of the joint projects are in the medical field. Two are seeking advances in the field of cancer, one in the field of sexually transmitted diseases and one in the treatment of malaria.