June 22, 2000 (12:30 p.m. EDT) No. 159

PETTIGREW TO LEAD CANADA TRADE MISSION TO RUSSIA

International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew will lead a trade mission to Moscow and St. Petersburg from June 27 to 30 to promote business links with Russia. He will be accompanied by representatives from over 60 Canadian companies and organizations doing business in the country.

The Minister will also co-chair a session of the Canada-Russia Intergovernmental Economic Commission (IEC). This bilateral forum aims to foster trade, investment and the transfer of technology between the two countries, as well as to advance key joint projects and address barriers to economic co-operation.

"This mission is an opportunity for Canadian business to build on existing Russian partnerships, and further expand into a market with enormous economic potential," said Mr. Pettigrew. "We also want to encourage the new Russian administration to continue its economic and political reforms and develop a more stable and predictable business and investment environment."

Canada's two-way merchandise trade with Russia reached $780 million in 1999, and Canadian direct investment in Russia is estimated at $1.25 billion. Canadian exporters participating in the mission represent all regions of the country and reflect Canada's key medium- and long-term interests in Russia, including natural resource development, infrastructure updating, services and agri-food sectors.

While in Moscow on June 28 and 29, Minister Pettigrew plans to have several bilateral meetings with Russian government officials, including Russian IEC Co-chair and Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, and Minister for Economic Development and Trade German Gref.

"As our ties become stronger, Canada is encouraging Russia's integration into multilateral and regional institutions, such as APEC in 1998," said Mr. Pettigrew. "We are also providing technical support for Russian accession to the WTO and strongly back Russia's role in the G-8 Summit process."

The IEC, established in 1995, is Canada's principal forum for developing economic ties with Russia. The five current IEC working groups are devoted to agriculture and agri-food, housing and construction, energy, mining and the Arctic and North. Canada and Russia have established a wide-ranging Arctic agenda, including several joint initiatives on environmental monitoring, transportation, aboriginal business, electrical utilities and oil and gas.

In St. Petersburg on June 30, the Minister will meet with the St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev and Leningrad Oblast Governor Valeriy Serdiukov. He will also tour the Hermitage State Museum, which Canada has supported through a government-private sector initiative to install protective film on the museum windows, to protect its art collection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.

For more information on this mission, visit the Team Canada Web site at: http://www.tcm-mec.gc.ca

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A list of participants in the Canada Trade Mission to Russia is attached.

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

PARTICIPANTS IN CANADIAN TRADE MISSION TO RUSSIA*

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada	Ottawa	Ontario
Archangel Diamond Corporation	Vancouver	British Columbia
Benol Corporation	Ottawa	Ontario
Betatron Sound & Signal Inc.	Concord	Ontario
Bitech Petroleum Corporation Canada	Calgary	Alberta
BJ Services Company	Calgary	Alberta
Canada Eurasia Energy Industry Alliance	Calgary	Alberta
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation	Ottawa	Ontario
Canada Russia Business Forum	Toronto	Ontario
Canadian Agra International Corporation	Kincardine	Ontario
Candesal Technologies Limited	Ottawa	Ontario
CanEd International Inc.	Calgary	Alberta
CANSTROY International	Etobicoke	Ontario
Cepra International Inc.	Coaticook	Quebec
CIBC Trade Finance Division	Toronto	Ontario
City of Montreal	Montreal	Quebec
City of Sault Ste-Marie	Sault Ste-Marie	Ontario
Consortium for Economic Policy Research and Advice	Ottawa	Ontario
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development	Ottawa	Ontario
Earth's Vital Extractors Limited	Calgary	Alberta
EMS Technologies Ltd.	Ste-Anne de Bellevue	Quebec
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	London	United Kingdom
Export Development Corporation	Ottawa	Ontario
Flint Eurasia Ltd.	Calgary	Alberta
General Discovery Canada Ltd.	Oshawa	Ontario
Gowling, Strathy & Henderson	Ottawa	Ontario
Inline Fibreglass Ltd.	Etobicoke	Ontario
International Informatization Academy	Montreal	Quebec
International Livestock Management Schools	Kemptville	Ontario
Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce	Iqaluit	Nunavut
Ivanhoe Energy Inc.	Calgary	Alberta
Iyanin Kutkh Ltd.	North Vancouver	British Columbia
Jacques Whitford Environment Limited	Goose Bay	Newfoundland
Knowledge Exchange International Centre	Thornhill	Ontario
Macleod Dixon	Calgary	Alberta
MDS Nordion	Kanata	Ontario
Mining Technologies International Inc.	Sudbury	Ontario
Ministère des Relations internationales, Government of Quebec	Quebec	Quebec
Moscow Narodny Bank Limited	Winnipeg	Manitoba
Natural Resources Canada	Ottawa	Ontario
Navigator Trade House International Inc.	Winnipeg	Manitoba
Newcon International Ltd.	Toronto	Ontario
Norex Petroleum Ltd.	Calgary	Alberta
Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce	Yellowknife	Northwest Territories
Pan American Silver Corporation	Vancouver	British Columbia
Placer Dome Inc.	Vancouver	British Columbia
Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc.	Longueuil	Quebec
Schulich School of Business	North York	Ontario
Sigma VI	Ottawa	Ontario
SNC Lavalin International	Montreal	Quebec
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.	Montreal	Quebec
SNC-Lavalin Capital	Montreal	Quebec
Société de développement international de loterie, inc.	Laval	Quebec
TRIUMF	Vancouver	British Columbia
Troy Canada Inc.	Toronto	Ontario
Ucluelet Seafood Processors Ltd.	Ucluelet	British Columbia
University of Saskatchewan International	Saskatoon	Saskatchewan
Velan Inc.	Saint-Laurent	Quebec

Yukon Chamber of Commerce

Whitehorse

Yukon