NEWS RELEASES
May 18, 2005 (9:00 a.m. EDT)
No. 88
CANADA CONTRIBUTES OVER $3 MILLION
TO TRADE ASSOCIATIONS TO PROMOTE
CANADIAN EXPORTS ABROAD
Fifty-five national trade associations will receive $3 million in funding in 2005-2006,
International Trade Minister Jim Peterson announced today. The funding will help
promote Canadian exports in foreign markets through the Program for Export Market
Development.
“Exports are essential to the Canadian economy,” said Minister Peterson. “Each day,
with the support of trade associations, small and medium-sized businesses create
Canadian jobs by selling products and services in foreign markets. That is why
government programs such as this one are necessary: they support our international
trade development strategy and help strengthen Canada’s economy for the 21st
century.”
This government assistance, provided under the Program for Export Market
Development to national non-profit sectoral trade associations, is aimed at
implementing projects that promote and facilitate international trade
expansion—projects that will mainly benefit small and medium-sized businesses.
To find out more about the Program for Export Market Development for trade
associations, please visit the departmental Web site at
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/pemd/tradeassociations/assist-en.asp.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is
therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Andrea Lanthier
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Trade
(613) 992-7332
Media Relations Office
International Trade Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
Backgrounder
PROGRAM FOR EXPORT MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Program objective
The Program for Export Market Development, Trade Associations component
(PEMD-TA), assists national sectoral trade and industrial associations seeking to
increase their commercialization activities in international markets or to initiate new
activities through the industry sector they represent.
For the 2005-2006 program, trade associations had until January 28 to submit
applications for financial assistance. Applications from 55 trade and industrial
associations were fully or partially accepted.
The Government of Canada’s contribution per association fluctuates between $20,000
and $100,000 per year.
Eligibility criteria
Among other criteria, any association wishing to submit an application for financial
assistance under the program must be:
• a national trade or industrial association or a regional association with a national
perspective;
• involved in a specific industry sector;
• incorporated;
• registered on the department’s Virtual Trade Commissioner Web site.
Assessment of applications
Applications are assessed according to the following criteria:
• export market development strategy and expected results;
• incrementality of proposed activities (international market development initiatives
in new foreign markets or expansion initiatives in current foreign markets);
• benefits to the trade association’s membership;
• participation in activities co-funded by PEMD-TA over the last two years.
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