Seamus Kirk
Question:10. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of the recent trade mission to Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30796/13]
View answerWednesday, 26 June 2013
Questions (10, 47)
Pearse Doherty
Question:47. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide further details on the recent Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Canada, led by Minister of State, Deputy Costello; the objectives of the mission; the persons the trade mission met; and the suspected benefits for Ireland arising from the mission. [30783/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 47 together.
Canada, which is the world's 10th largest economy, has been identified as a priority market under the Government’s strategy for promoting trade, tourism and investment Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy. Ireland’s merchandise exports to Canada increased by 11% in 2012 to over €780 million and exports by indigenous EI client companies increased by 26% in 2012 to over €214 million.
The recent Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Canada, which I led from 10 to 13 June, was organised in close cooperation with my Department and the Embassy of Ireland to Canada. A key objective of the mission was to identify potential opportunities for Irish companies in the oil and gas industries in the province of Alberta. 15 Irish companies participated in the mission, in the engineering, construction, technology and recruitment sectors.
During the trade mission, I met with the Deputy Premier and Minister for Enterprise and Advanced Education, and the Minister for International and Intergovernmental Affairs, of the province of Alberta, as well as with a range of Irish companies and their Canadian business partners and customers. I delivered keynote addresses at business networking events organised in conjunction with the Ireland-Canada Centre of Commerce in Calgary and the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce in Edmonton, and also at a Seminar on European Innovation in the Canadian Heavy Oil Industry. I also met with Irish community groups in both Calgary and Edmonton and thanked them for their work in supporting younger Irish people working in Alberta. In addition, I used the opportunities presented by engagement with the Irish-Canadian community in both cities to promote The Gathering. I also availed of media interviews to deliver key messages on the Irish economy, as well as promoting awareness of the objectives of the trade mission and of the strong Ireland-Canada bilateral relationship generally.
Among the highlights from the trade mission for a number of EI client companies were the conclusion of an agreement between PM Group and its Canadian Partner, Gas Liquids Engineering (GLE), which will see both companies working together in the gas processing industry in Europe and across the world; a long-term contract secured by Decisions [D4H] with the Government of Alberta for the provision of their innovative search and rescue software; and an event with Canadian business contacts to mark the recent opening by Tech Skills of its first office in Canada. I am confident that the contacts made and developed during this trade mission will lead to ongoing opportunities for Irish companies to increase their exports to the Canadian market and to expand their engagement with new and existing Canadian partners.
Trade missions are just one of the ways in which we aim to support the Irish enterprise sector to develop trade, tourism and investment opportunities across the globe. Our Embassy network and state agencies overseas work hard to identify specific export and investment opportunities, build extensive business and political contact networks, lobby on market access issues and promote Ireland as a destination for tourism and for study. I would add that during the recent visit to Ireland by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which took place from 15 to 17 June, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste discussed Ireland-Canada and EU-Canada relations, including our trading and economic relationship, and they used the opportunity to update the PM on recent positive developments related to the Irish economy.