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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">May 18, 2005 <i>(9:00 a.m. EDT)</i><br>
No. 88</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">CANADA CONTRIBUTES OVER $3 MILLION <br>
TO TRADE ASSOCIATIONS TO PROMOTE<br>
CANADIAN EXPORTS ABROAD </span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">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.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“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.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">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.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">To find out more about the Program for Export Market Development for trade
associations, please visit the departmental Web site at</span></span></p>
<p><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012306/http://www.international.gc.ca/pemd/tradeassociations/assist-en.asp"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/pemd/tradeassociations/assist-en.asp</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">. </span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is
therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">- 30 -</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">A backgrounder is attached.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Andrea Lanthier</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Press Secretary<br>
Office of the Minister of International Trade<br>
(613) 992-7332</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office<br>
International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012306/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">Backgrounder</span></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">PROGRAM FOR EXPORT MARKET DEVELOPMENT</span></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-weight: bold">Program objective</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">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.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">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. </span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">The Government of Canada’s contribution per association fluctuates between $20,000
and $100,000 per year.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-weight: bold">Eligibility criteria</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Among other criteria, any association wishing to submit an application for financial
assistance under the program must be:</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"> </p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>a national trade or industrial association or a regional association with a national
perspective;</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>involved in a specific industry sector; </span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>incorporated;</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>registered on the department’s Virtual Trade Commissioner Web site.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-weight: bold">Assessment of applications</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Applications are assessed according to the following criteria:</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"> </p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>export market development strategy and expected results;</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>incrementality of proposed activities (international market development initiatives
in new foreign markets or expansion initiatives in current foreign markets);</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>benefits to the trade association’s membership;</span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">•<span>         </span>participation in activities co-funded by PEMD-TA over the last two years.</span></span></span></p>
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