SPEECHES

97/52 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY

THE HONOURABLE SERGIO MARCHI,

MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE,

TO THE

"WORKING THE NETWORK" EDUCATION CONFERENCE

TORONTO, Ontario

November 17, 1997

This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca

I've long believed in the twin notions of universal truth and the enrichment of the human spirit through knowledge.

Let me explain . . .

I was born in Argentina of Italian parents who emigrated there after the war. When I was still a child, we came to Canada.

And, as all newcomers to this country, my parents dreamed of making a better life for themselves and their children.

There's nothing unique about that.

Since time immemorial, parents the world over have done everything in their power to nurture and protect their young; to create a life for their children that was better than their own.

That's the universal truth I mentioned a moment ago.

My parents also believed that childhood is a time for enrichment; that if we aren't provided with intellectual nourishment, we fail to bloom.

Having said that, I should confess that in all my years at school, two words consistently caused my heart to skip a beat.

Those two words were "spot quiz."

So, when the Canadian Education Centre Network invited me here today, I thought: it's payback time.

Here's the quiz:

For 100 marks, what do Dr. Liu Chao-Hsiuan, Datuk Amar Dr. Sulaiman Daud, Dr. Tungky Ariwibowo and Pyung Heo Ku have in common?

Here's the answer:

At one time or another, all four travelled to Canada from abroad.

They came here to get an education they couldn't get at home.

And all went on to become successful in their fields.

Dr. Liu as Taiwan's Transport Minister; Dr. Sulaiman as Malaysia's Agriculture Minister; Dr. Tungky as Indonesia's Minister of Industry and Trade; and Mr. Ku as Honourary Chairman of the LG Group, one of South Korea's five biggest conglomerates.

Nor are these success stories unique.

Canadian alumni can now be found at the highest levels of Singapore's public and private sectors. Five of Singapore's most powerful civil servants are Canadian alumni, as are many academics and industry leaders.

And in Hong Kong, graduates of Canadian universities are active in all sectors of Hong Kong's economy, including property, tourism and infrastructure development, banking and financial services, a cross-section of the trade sector, and in the senior echelons of government service.

Throughout the world, you can find public and private sector leaders who have been touched -- who have been shaped -- by a Canadian educational experience.

I tell you this because in the worlds of diplomacy and business, we in Canada have an opportunity to influence the next generation of world political and economic leaders through one of the very best education systems in the world.

And "connections" are what this government's activities in the international education marketplace are all about.

Because in our interconnected world, you can never have enough friends.

And so, in Canada's Year of Asia Pacific, I think it's fitting and appropriate that you have come together to talk about the importance of building networks.

And about one of the essential building blocks of all economies and societies.

Because, as we shift from resource-based to knowledge-based economies, education becomes increasingly critical to a strong economy.

As our last federal budget made very clear, the federal government sees education as a positive force -- one that can help us create opportunities for young Canadians in high-growth sectors of our economy.

So, in that budget, we tried to open doors for young Canadians . . .

. . . by reducing barriers to postsecondary education through further changes to the Canada Student Loan Program;

. . . by increasing assistance for students with dependants;

. . . by helping parents finance their children's education; and

. . . by creating and funding the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

As well, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Endowment Fund, introduced by the Prime Minister in September, will reward academic excellence by providing thousands of scholarships each year to low- and moderate-income Canadians across our nation.

These are some of the keys we'll use to unlock the doors to job creation -- and enhance our prosperity in the 21st century.

Our priority is to make sure that our young generation makes a successful transition to the world of work -- and to the world at large.

To help transform this vision into reality, we're committed to working with the provinces and educators to ensure young Canadians acquire the skills they need in our highly competitive world.

Today, the international dimension of education is rapidly becoming a major feature of Canada's trade development agenda.

And the international education sector is important to us because it's not only good business -- it's big business.

Education pays long-term dividends.

The North American education sector alone is a $700-billion industry.

In 1995, the World Bank approved nearly $3 billion in education-related contracts.

And in 1994-95, international students contributed $2.3 billion, or the equivalent of 21 000 jobs, to our economy.

That's a trend we want to expand on.

And that's why education has been -- and will continue to be -- such an important part of our Team Canada trade missions abroad.

As you know, the education and training sector was one of the largest delegations during Team Canada '97.

And when Team Canada '98 travels to Latin America next January, I'm certain the education community will continue to play a vital role.

Team Canada aside, my department is working in other constructive and imaginative ways to connect Canada's international education market to the world at large.

The Program for Export Market Development, for example, is helping many associations and companies move into other markets.

And the WIN Exports program is helping to link Canadian educational suppliers with opportunities in new markets.

Both programs make good business sense.

We're also making sure our foreign service officers and trade commissioners are better trained to appreciate the nature and potential of the education market.

We're also working to help streamline student visa requirements.

And I support the Prime Minister's pilot project to go further in bringing the current student visa process into line with those of our competitors -- without undermining the sense of security and well-being of other Canadians.

At the same time that nearly 100 000 international students are studying in Canada, 27 000 Canadians are studying abroad -- many of them with our help.

And here, we're working with our public and private sector partners to expand our student and youth international work placement activities -- exchanges that help all concerned.

We're involved because education is a two-way street.

The world needs more young people with a broader, deeper understanding of world culture and international business.

We need them working here in Canada.

And we also need them working in the economies with which we trade.

One of the ways we're encouraging this internationalism is by building on successful relationships.

And when it comes to the field of international education, the Canadian Education Centre [CEC] Network has become one of my department's most important partners.

It plays such an important role:

. . . recruiting international students;

. . . helping to broker government and corporate training contracts; and

. . . forging new links between Canadian education institutes and their local counterparts.

Given the Network's good works, it doesn't surprise me that CECs are becoming busier and busier places.

Take the case of CEC-Bangkok, which opened only last year.

In the first half of 1997, the number of student visas issued for Thailand increased 140 percent over the same period the previous year.

And the good news doesn't end there.

October was Canadian education fair month in Northeast Asia.

While we don't have a CEC in Japan, our embassy in Tokyo co-sponsored a series of fairs held throughout Japan, in which 40 educational institutions, as well as five provinces, took part.

By all accounts, it was a great success, as were other CEC-organized fairs in Hong Kong and Seoul.

And, of course, the success of CECs goes beyond fairs.

The unprecedented success of CEC-Mexico has opened the door for us to move into key Latin American markets -- and for French-language institutions to join the Network.

Building on the success of the network of CECs in Asia Pacific and Mexico, we plan to establish up to 15 new CECs by the year 2000.

And we're prepared to receive business proposals from any group interested in becoming our partner.

In a knowledge-based world experiencing profound changes, our goal is to make Canada the most connected country in the world.

Because it's no secret that people trade with others they feel most comfortable with, often in languages they speak and in cultures they understand.

In this regard, Canadians have links to every part of the world. And that's one of our greatest strengths. We must now turn this into a competitive advantage.

That's what I'm committed to doing.

And I seek and need your help.

I invite you to tell me how the government and the education sector can work better in partnership.

How we can market and promote education more creatively abroad.

How we can improve on current international co-op arrangements.

How we can we put more students in more places around the world.

I've called for an education round table early in the new year, so that we can answer these questions and explore all opportunities.

Any Canadian economic strategy that ignores education will leave us one giant step behind.

And, like you, I want Canada to be two steps ahead!