| Check Against Delivery Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome
to the Globe 98 trade fair. Welcome to Vancouver. Just a
few moments ago I opened the Globe Plenary and I see many
faces out there now who were with me just an hour ago.
For exhibitors, this trade fair
provides the most comprehensive exposure to international
markets for their environmental products and services.
More than 2500 international buyers and participants came
to Globe 96. More than $500 million in business was
generated as a result of Globe 96. Globe 98 affords the
same opportunities.
For buyers, investors and
joint-venture partners, the Globe 98 trade fair provides
one-stop shopping for everything from pollution
prevention to wastewater treatment. With the climate
change negotiations recently in Kyoto and an emerging
global focus on reducing greenhouse gases, energy
efficiency technologies are becoming increasingly
important.
The Globe 98 trade fair is a major
international marketplace for innovative environmental
technologies, products and services. Over 300 of the
world’s leading edge environmental technology firms
are exhibitors this year.
I am proud to say that many of
these companies are Canadian. Canada has leading edge
technologies in water and wastewater treatment,
environmental monitoring and instrumentation.
But Globe 98 has a truly
international flavour with business and government
leaders from over 50 countries participating. Globe 98
links participants from Asia, the Americas and Europe
under one roof providing exceptional opportunities to
network and do business.
With an increased move towards
environmental protection worldwide, global environmental
markets have expanded dramatically and now exceed 500
billion dollars (Canadian) a year. The environmental
industry makes a significant contribution to the economy
of many countries, including Canada.
The Government of Canada is
committed to sustainable development and to stimulating
job creation and economic growth. Supporting
Canada’s environmental industry helps us achieve
both a healthy environment and a prosperous economy.
The government invests in
knowledge-based sectors of our economy by advancing
scientific research and the development of new
technologies. Environmental technology is a key
knowledge-based sector.
To this end, the Government of
Canada is pleased to help bring this conference and trade
show to life. The government has been there since the
inception of Globe as a supporter and a sponsor. This
year is no exception. Three federal departments –
Western Economic Diversification, Environment Canada and
Industry Canada are sponsors of Globe 98.
I’d like to congratulate John
Wiebe and the Globe Foundation for putting together a
world class event.
Once again, welcome to the Globe 98
trade fair. With such a high caliber of exhibitors and
buyers, I know that this trade fair will meet and exceed
your expectations.
Thank you.
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