NEWS RELEASES
PETTIGREW, GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCE MEGA $330 MILLION EXPORT DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA
August 8, 2000 (11:00 a.m. EDT) No. 194
PETTIGREW, GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCE
MEGA $330 MILLION EXPORT DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA
International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced a $330 million deal
between Australia and the General Motors Defence Division (GMDD), based in London,
Ontario.
Australia's military has been planning to buy 146 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles
(LAVs) and support equipment to boost its peacekeeping capabilities, a deal valued at
$330 million. On Friday, Australian Defence Minister John Moore confirmed that GMDD
Canada is the successful tenderer and has been awarded the contract.
"I am very pleased that a Canadian company has secured this contract. This is quite a
significant deal for Canada, one that attests to the high quality and value of Canadian
goods on the international market," Minister Pettigrew said.
Minister Pettigrew took part today in an event to announce the deal at GMDD
headquarters in London, along with GMDD Executive Director William Pettipas,
Australian High Commissioner Gregory Wood, and Canadian Commercial Corporation
(CCC) President Douglas Patriquin.
"Our company and our jobs thrive on contracts of this magnitude," said Mr. Pettipas.
"We are very appreciative of Minister Pettigrew's assistance."
This contract is through the CCC, and is an amendment to an original contract for
111 LAVs signed in 1991. The contract requires the delivery of 146 General Motors
(GM) LAVs and the retrofit (upgrade) of the existing Australian government LAV fleet.
"The Australian government is satisfied because we provide price certification and a
government-backed guarantee of contract performance," said Mr. Patriquin. "Having our
staff work on site at the GM plant in London is reassuring to customers like the
Australians who are thousands of miles away."
Minister Pettigrew led a business mission to Australia May 29 to June 2 to boost trade
and investment between the two countries. Canadian exports to Australia reached
almost $947 million in 1999. Two-way trade between Canada and Australia totalled
nearly $2.2 billion. Canadian investment in Australia totals about $2.8 billion, and more
than 150 Canadian companies have subsidiaries operating in Australia.
The Canadian Commercial Corporation is an export sales agency of the Government of
Canada specializing in sales to foreign governments. Canadian exporters selling
through CCC gain greater access to government and other markets, as well as
competitive advantage through CCC's contracting expertise and unique government-backed guarantee of contract performance.
CCC and GM have won over $2.5 billion in worldwide sales of LAVs over the last 20
years.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Greg Fergus
Office of the Minister for International Trade
(613) 992-7332
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
Chris Dennett
General Motors Defence Division
(519) 642-4492
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