GHY Tradelines

(FAITC)

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, wrapped up a successful visit to Asia by playing an active role at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting in Surabaya, Indonesia.

“Our government is focused on the priorities of Canadians: creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in every region of Canada,” said Minister Fast. “That is why we are working hard to open new markets to increase Canadian exports, as well as grow our investment ties in high-growth markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”

This is Minister Fast’s ninth visit to Asia in less than two years. At the APEC meeting, Minister Fast outlined the agenda Canada would like to see pursued by the next director-general of the World Trade Organization. Before attending the APEC meeting, Minister Fast and the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), led a trade mission to China and Japan and also advanced Canada’s interests during a visit to Hong Kong. Read more here.
 

(FAITC)

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today announced that the second round of negotiations toward a Canada-Japan economic partnership agreement (EPA) will be held in Ottawa from April 22 to 26, 2013. The announcement was made just prior to a meeting between Minister Fast and Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.
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(Steven Chase — Globe and Mail)

Canada and Japan are meeting for a second round of free-trade talks this month as Ottawa tries to stay ahead of other countries looking to cut similar deals with Tokyo.

Japanese negotiators will visit Canada from April 22 to April 26 to continue talks on a Canada-Japan economic partnership agreement.

Trade Minister Ed Fast is currently leading a trade mission to Japan, his third visit there since being named to his post. Read more here.
 

(DFAIT)

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today issued the following statement outlining the agenda Canada would like to see pursued by the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“As the selection process for a new director-general of the WTO continues and WTO members are canvassed on their preferred candidates, I have instructed my officials to relay to all members and prospective candidates the agenda Canada expects the next director-general to commit to and pursue during his or her term of office. In what remain challenging and uncertain times for both the global economy and the WTO itself, the selection of the next director-general will be a critical one. Canada views the selection process as a unique opportunity to engage with director-general candidates in a frank and open discussion about the role of the WTO and the future of the Doha Round. Read more here.
 

(FAITC)

Entry into force of Canada-Panama trade agreement eliminates tariffs on more than 90% of Canadian exports to one of the fastest-growing markets in the Americas

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today announced the entry into force of a bilateral free trade agreement between Canada and Panama that immediately secures a competitive advantage for Canadian exporters.

“Canada’s Economic Action Plan, with its focus on creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in every region of our country, includes opening new markets that increase Canadian exports,” said Minister Fast. “Starting today, this historic agreement will benefit Canadian exporters by immediately eliminating tariffs on more than 90% of Canadian goods exported to Panama. Workers and businesses in a wide range of Canadian sectors, such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper and agriculture and agri-food, will benefit from taking Canada’s trading relationship with Panama to the next level.”

“The trading relationship between Canada and Panama continues to grow by leaps and bounds, having increased by 62 percent in less than four years,” said the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs). “This agreement is further proof of our government’s commitment to a robust presence in the Americas that increases economic opportunities for Canadians and delivers real benefits and prosperity for people throughout our hemisphere.”

In less than six years, the Harper government has concluded free trade agreements with nine countries: Colombia, Honduras, Jordan, Panama, Peru and the European Free Trade Association member states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition, Canada is in ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union, India, Japan and the members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Canada also recently achieved observer status in the Pacific Alliance, a grouping of key fast-growing markets in Latin America. These accomplishments have been key to the Harper government’s work in opening new markets and increasing Canadian exports as part of the most-ambitious trade expansion plan in the nation’s history.
 

(CBC News)

Canada‘s trade minister plans April trade trip to boost Canadian IT sales in Chinese hacking hotbed

The federal trade minister is promoting China as a key market for Canadian technology as that country is being outed as a hacker hotbed. Ed Fast says he’s headed to China and Japan in April to promote Canadian information communications technology.

In China, Fast will visit three cities, including Shanghai, the home of a military unit linked this week to cyber-espionage activities targeting companies around the globe. Fast says he’s going to Shanghai in particular because it’s an important area for the development of IT for business and mobile applications. He’ll also visit Hangzhou and Hong Kong as well as Japan to focus on medical imaging technology, along with business leaders from those industries.

Fast’s trade mission is his first to China since his visit with the prime minister last year.

A foreign investment and promotion agreement between Canada and China that was the centrepiece of Harper’s 2012 trip has yet to be ratified. Read more here.
 

(DFAIT)

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) is organizing a Canada Trade Mission to Shanghai, Hangzhou (China) and Tokyo (Japan).

The trade mission will be led by the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and will highlight business opportunities in the following Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sub-sectors:

• Enterprise solutions and mobile applications
• Medical imaging (Japan only)

Companies participating in the International ICT Expo in Hong Kong may find this trade mission a great opportunity to explore surrounding markets while you are in the region. Furthermore, companies in the field of medical imaging may choose to network with Japanese medical device companies by visiting the International Technical Exhibition of Medical Imaging (ITEM) 2013 in Yokohama (Japan) after the trade mission.

Bookmark and visit our webpage regularly for up-to-date information on this Canada Trade Mission.

Registration:
As we are only accepting a limited number of companies, applications will be considered on a first come, first-served basis and will depend on the company falling within the sectoral scope and business objectives of the trade mission. If you wish to receive a registration package, please contact me directly.

Deadline for registration, including full payment is Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 17:00 EST.

We look forward to having you join us.

Jennifer Gowan
Trade Commissioner, Trade Missions
Tel.: 613-944-0077; Fax: 613-996-3406
jennifer.gowan@international.gc.ca
 

(David Ljunggren – Reuters)

Canada and the European Union failed to settle their differences on a proposed free trade deal this week at top-level talks to hammer out an agreement that is already well behind schedule.

Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht spent Wednesday and Thursday in Ottawa discussing contentious issues including agricultural exports, intellectual property and public procurement.

The EU indicated Canadian demands for increased access for its agricultural products were one of the major obstacles.

“There are still a number of important gaps to be bridged before an agreement is reached,” EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in an e-mail on Friday.

“Quality and substance of the negotiations remain paramount over speed. On agricultural issues, we are now in a more realistic zone, but we are still not there yet.” Read more here.
 

(DFAIT)

Canada-India trade agreement an important part of the Harper government’s plan to open new markets and create jobs

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, announced the conclusion of the seventh round of negotiations toward a Canada-India comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Negotiations took place in New Delhi on February 5 and 6, 2013.

“Our government is committed to building on our already-strong ties with India to create a partnership that will lead to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for workers in both our countries,” said Minister Fast. “More than a million Canadians of Indian origin is clear proof of how both business and people-to-people ties are helping us deepen the Canada-India relationship.”

Negotiations this week were productive and focused mostly on market access and related areas.

A Canada-India joint study concluded that a trade agreement between the two countries could boost Canada’s economy by at least $6 billion. That translates to almost 40,000 new jobs across the country, or a $500 boost to the average Canadian family’s annual income. Canada has identified core economic opportunities in India in the energy, agriculture, infrastructure and education sectors.

In less than six years, Canada has concluded free trade agreements with nine countries: Colombia, Honduras, Jordan, Panama, Peru and the European Free Trade Association member states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition to India, Canada is engaged in negotiations with large, dynamic and fast-growing markets, such as the European Union, Japan and the countries that comprise the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
 

(African Manager)

A team of Canadian investors led by the Canadian Minister of International Trade and Asian Pacific Gateway, Mr. Ed Fast, on Wednesday met with Nigerian businessmen with a promise to expand existing bilateral trade ties between the two countries.

“I think what we are doing is really providing an impetus to Canada-Nigeria trade investment relationships. The future is very bright for the Canada-Nigeria trade investment relationships,” Mr. Fast said at a breakfast meeting organized for Canadian and Nigerian investors in the commercial city of Lagos.

The Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Ojo Maduekwe, who led his country’s trade delegation to the meeting pledged to fast track trade relationships between the two Commonwealth countries. Read more here.
 

(Mike Godfrey – Tax-news)

Canada’s International Trade Minister is leading a trade mission to Nigeria and Ghana as part of the government’s Action Plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

Ed Fast’s trip is taking place from January 27 to February 1, with representatives from 28 Canadian companies and organizations, predominantly from the extractive and infrastructure sectors, participating.

Fast said of the mission, “Exporting Canada’s world-class goods, services and expertise to new, fast-growing markets around the world is a key part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. This mission to Africa – my first trade mission of 2013 – is an important part of that plan.” Read more here.
 

(DFAIT)

Ensuring Canadian exporters preferred access to fast-growing markets such as Panama is crucial to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for hard-working Canadians and their families, says Minister Fast

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, announced that the Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act has received royal assent.

“Our government’s top priority remains the creation of jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians,” said Minister Fast. “Panama is one of the fastest-growing markets in the Americas and a strategic gateway to Latin America. This agreement is a key part of our government’s plan to open new markets to increase Canadian exports as part of the most ambitious trade expansion plan in our nation’s history.”

Once implemented, a Canada-Panama trade agreement will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 90% of Canadian goods exported to Panama, directly benefiting Canadian exporters in a variety of sectors, including aerospace, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and agriculture and agri-food. In addition, an agreement will give Canadian suppliers preferred access to the government procurement market in Panama, where the government has a five-year plan to invest in major infrastructure projects worth $13.4 billion. Read more here.
 

(CBC News – Janyce McGregor)

Trade Minister Ed Fast meeting with European counterpart in Brussels next week

European trade negotiators are in Ottawa this week in a final push to whittle down the issues their political masters will have to tackle during much-anticipated ministerial talks in Brussels next week.

Work began on the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in 2009. But while the two sides have met regularly for round after round of negotiations – and spoken frequently in between – the Harper government doesn’t appear keen to confirm this deal with Europe is heading towards the final countdown.

A spokesman for International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Rudy Husny, says the two sides are in “intensive negotiations” but said CETA talks are a continuation of dialogue that has been underway for some time.

In an Oct. 30 video posted on a European web site, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced that ministerial talks between himself and Fast would be held “towards” Nov. 20 to try to “close the deal.”

“There are a number of issues I believe that you can only resolve at the political level,” De Gucht said in the video. Read more here.
 

(DFAIT)

Ensuring Canadian exporters are on a level playing field in markets like Panama is crucial to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for hard-working Canadians and their families, says Minister Fast

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today announced that the Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, together with agreements on labour cooperation and the environment, has been passed by the House of Commons and will be put forward for Royal Assent after passage by the Senate.

“Our government understands that Canadian exporters need to be on a level playing field vis-à-vis their competitors in fast-growing markets around the world,” said Minister Fast. “We are pleased that the Canada-Panama trade agreement has been debated and passed by the House of Commons because we know that businesses that expand and succeed abroad create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity at home.”

Once implemented, a Canada-Panama trade agreement will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 90% of Canadian goods exported to Panama, directly benefiting Canadian exporters in a variety of sectors including aerospace, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and agriculture and agri-food. An agreement will also give new tools to Canadian businesses to compete with others in Panama’s market. In addition, a Canada-Panama agreement will secure preferred access to the government procurement market in Panama, where the government has a five-year plan to invest in major infrastructure projects.

“The Canada-Panama free trade agreement is a key step toward deepening the long-standing relationship between our two countries,” said the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs). “By being a reliable partner in the Americas our government is creating new opportunities for Canadian workers and their families, and delivering on our commitment to help build a more prosperous, secure and democratic hemisphere.”

Panama is an important market for Canada and a strategic hub of commercial activity for Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean region of South America. Panama is Canada’s second-largest export market in Central America, after Costa Rica, with bilateral merchandise trade reaching $235.3 million in 2011, up 10.1% over 2010.

In less than six years, the Harper government has concluded free trade agreements with nine countries: Colombia, Honduras, Jordan, Panama, Peru and the European Free Trade Association member states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition, Canada is in ongoing negotiations with the European Union, India and Japan, and recently joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
 

(Toronto Star – Bruce Campion-Smith)

Canada and India have inked $2.5 billion worth of investment deals, even as frustration grows at the inability of the two nations to cement key pacts on everything from investor protection to nuclear exports and free trade.

International Trade Minister Ed Fast drove home the concern when he cited “opaque” conditions that confront foreign investors in India. He said completion of a foreign investment protection agreement now under negotiation would safeguard investors against arbitrary acts affecting their investments.

“We have made it very clear to the Indian government that a bilateral investment treaty between Canada and India is going to be a very clear signal to Canadian investors that India is open for business,” Fast told reporters. Read more here.
 

(Frank Luba — The Province)

Minister unable to provide cost of ‘inspected once, cleared twice’ pilot project

Canadian and U.S. border officials have launched a pilot project to speed the flow of goods through customs.

The pilot project, which began Oct. 1, involves improving the flow of U.S.-bound marine cargo through the port of Prince Rupert.

Canada Border Services Agency personnel will inspect cargo and secure it with high-security bolt seals, negating the need for another inspection at the U.S. border.

The principle of “inspected once, cleared twice” will mean faster, more efficient movement of goods, officials said.

But Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and the Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, was unable to provide the cost of the pilot project. Read more here.
 

(Mississauga.com – Chris Clay)

International Trade Minister Ed Fast appeared at the Living Arts Centre on Monday to address the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters.

Fast highlighted some of the federal government’s recent accomplishments and immediate plans to increase trade.

Since 2009, Fast said, the government has eliminated more than 1,800 tariffs, including all those on imported machinery, equipment and manufacturing inputs. They’ve removed the monopoly power of the Canadian Wheat Board and have allowed more competition in the telecommunications sector. As well, they’ve brought in a new copyright law that he called more “modern, flexible and in-line with current international standards” to protect Canadians. Read more here.
 

(The Information Daily)

On his trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, The Minister of International Trade, Ed Fast, says increasing Canadian exports will lead to jobs, growth, and prosperity.

Together with Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Fast announced the relaunch of the Canada-Saudi Arabia Joint Economic Commission (JEC). This marks the most ambitious trade expansion plan in Canadian history, and is expected to help expand and diversify trade between the two countries.

“Reinvigorating the Joint Economic Commission will help us take our bilateral relationship to the next level and help Canadian businesses succeed in the Middle East and the North African market,” said Fast. Read more here.
 

(Tavia Grant – Globe & Mail)

Canada’s economic future is being hampered by “free-trade deniers” whose “inward-looking” vision for the country threatens opportunities for growth and prosperity, the international trade minister said in blunt remarks Wednesday.

The Conservative minister’s comments – aimed squarely at the opposition New Democratic Party – came on the 25th anniversary of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, and as the federal government hopes to sign a free-trade deal with the European Union by the end of this year.

Despite “positive experiences in Canada with our free-trade agreements with 14 different countries around the world, there are still those in Canada who are ideologically and fundamentally opposed to expanding our trading relationships,” Ed Fast told reporters after a speech in Toronto.

“I’ve referred to them as free-trade deniers. I do so very deliberately, because what they are doing is, in denying Canada the ability to open up new trade opportunities, they’re denying Canadians an opportunity to benefit from economic growth and long-term prosperity.” Read more here.
 

(The Canadian Press)

Ed Fast says Quebec’s PQ government onside 

Trade Minister Ed Fast says he believes a comprehensive trade deal with the European Union is achievable by year’s end and that he has been assured Quebec’s new government remains on side.

The minister, who talked with Quebec’s finance and international relations ministers by phone last week, said he was assured that the separatist-minded Parti Quebecois government desires a trade deal with the European Union. As well, the PQ has also decided to retain Pierre Marc Johnson, who was named by the previous Liberal regime as the province’s chief negotiator at the talks.

“I certainly sensed from my counterparts in Quebec that they understand how important this agreement is,” Fast said in an interview Tuesday. The minister made the comments after a breakfast meeting in Ottawa with the heads of mission representing the EU. Read more here.