NEWS RELEASES
PETTIGREW LAUDS MISSISSAUGA INVESTMENT AND EXPORT SUCCESSES DURING OUTREACH TOUR
April 27, 2000 (12:30 p.m. EDT)
PETTIGREW LAUDS MISSISSAUGA INVESTMENT AND EXPORT SUCCESSES DURING
OUTREACH TOUR
International Trade Minister Pierre S. Pettigrew today told Mississauga exporters that they represent the vision
and innovation necessary to help energize Ontario and Canada's economy and job creation efforts.
Minister Pettigrew joined with Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion in welcoming the investment by PennCorp
Life Insurance that will create 95 new jobs in Mississauga. These jobs will be concentrated in insurance
underwriting and new business development, policy and claims administration.
"Trade commissioners at the Canadian Consulate General in New York helped facilitate PennCorp's move to
Mississauga. Attracting new investments to Canada is very much a partnership, and PennCorp's recent
expansion shows how federal, provincial and municipal governments can work together to bring more
investment here," said the Minister.
Minister Pettigrew's address before the Mississauga Board of Trade is part of a cross-Canada tour to promote
the importance of international trade to Canada's economic future. He has visited Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary,
Vancouver and Sherbrooke, and will also travel to St. John's and Quebec City in May.
"Mississauga is a key contributor to Ontario's outstanding export record, home to 29 of Canada's top 500
companies' head offices," said the Minister. "Skilled workers, excellent transportation links and an extremely
diversified economy make Mississauga an ideal export base."
Mr. Pettigrew also visited CRS Robotics of Burlington, Ontario, to learn first-hand how a leading technology firm
in the area had grown with the help of foreign markets and how such successes could be repeated.
Ontario's exports grew 13.6 percent in 1999 to $195 billion, 55 percent of Canada's export output. Autos and
auto parts exports were up 26.1 percent, followed by energy products at 19.3 percent. Ontario is also benefiting
from the global technological revolution, with electrical and precision equipment constituting nearly 19 percent
of the province's exports.
Mr. Pettigrew also emphasized that the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and its over 500
trade commissioners in 130 missions abroad can help Ontario exporters, especially small and medium-sized
businesses, plug into export opportunities, providing market intelligence, local contacts and services for
Canadian businesspeople.
The Minister is accompanied in Mississauga by trade commissioners visiting from the Canadian High
Commission in London and embassies in Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid and Budapest to take part in an exporters
seminar focussing on Western Europe, co-organized by the Mississauga Board of Trade. In 1999, two-way
merchandise trade between Canada and Western Europe totalled $53 billion, an increase of $3 billion over
1998. Six of Canada's 10 most important export markets are located in Europe.
Mr. Pettigrew also invited Ontario businesses to take part in several trade missions he will be leading in the
coming year. These include: Australia (May 29 to June 2); Russia (June 28 to 30); the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia (September 11 to 15); Algeria, Morocco and Spain (October 10 to 20); and the
Middle East.
For more information on the Trade Commissioner Service, please visit the InfoExport Web site at:
http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sylvie Bussières
Office of the Minister for International Trade
(613) 992-7332
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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