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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. MARCHI - ADDRESS TO THE ETHNOCULTURAL BUSINESS INITIATIVE SEMINAR HOSTED BY SARKIS ASSADOURIAN, MP, BRAMPTON CENTRE - BRAMPTON, ONTARIO</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> 99/20 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE SERGIO MARCHI MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE TO THE ETHNOCULTURAL BUSINESS INITIATIVE SEMINAR HOSTED BY SARKIS ASSADOURIAN, MP, BRAMPTON CENTRE BRAMPTON, Ontario March 13, 1999 (12:30 p.m. EST) This is a wonderful idea and an important initiative. I want to congratulate Sarkis for all of his hard work in pulling it together. I think that if we had to provide simultaneous translation for this event, we would need to borrow a whole roomful of staff from the United Nations! Certainly the number of countries and regions of the world represented here today is a strong testament not only to the diversity of Canada but also to the advantages it has in terms of international trade. In fact, one of the most important competitive advantages that we have in Canada is sitting in this room. And I don't say that as idle flattery. As International Trade Minister, I am always amazed at how the ties of heart and heritage provide connections for Canadian businesspeople abroad. But when you think about it, it only makes sense. People trade with countries they feel most comfortable with, in languages they speak and in cultures they understand. As a nation of immigrants, Canada has ties with every corner of the globe. There are very few countries indeed that can look to Canada and not see their own reflection. And so the various ethnocultural associations that are represented here today provide a crucial competitive edge to our country. Today's seminar is all about cultivating those ties. It is about capitalizing on the bridges you offer to the lands of your birth or ancestry. It is about encouraging more small- and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] to look abroad for new markets and new opportunities. And it is about selling the advantages of Canada to the world. Let me touch briefly on each of these points. First is capitalizing on our connections with other lands. As the son of immigrants, I understand something about the immigrant experience. I know that we live today in relative prosperity only because so many of our parents made the struggle to emerge from abject poverty. I know that we are proud of our heritage and that our loyalty is not so much divided as shared -- between the land of our forebears and the land of our future. And I know that, just as our ancestors reached across the Atlantic or the Pacific for new opportunities, so today we must extend ourselves beyond our frontiers to embrace the possibilities that await us. Why do I say that? Because there is no better creator of jobs than trade. Now, as International Trade Minister, you would expect me to say that. But consider these facts: Trade has become a huge part of our economy. Exports alone account for 40 percent of our GDP. And one job out of every three in Canada depends on trade. One in three! Canada is recognized around the world as a trading powerhouse. Per capita, we export three times as much as the Americans and twice as much as the Japanese. Little wonder, then, that Time magazine has called us an "Exporting Superhero." But, as the saying goes, there is nothing harder on your laurels than resting on them, and if we are to continue to grow, to provide the economic opportunities to our children that our parents gave to us, then we need to aggressively seek out new markets and new partners. And we need to build on the ethnic and cultural ties that we have around the world. To do that, we need to address one of the other themes of today's seminar, and that's encouraging more SMEs to seek opportunities abroad. I hardly need to remind any of you that small and medium-sized enterprises are a vital part of the Canadian economy. They create most of the new jobs and are fastest to move into evolving market niches for products and services. They are nimble, dynamic and creative, and among the most innovative businesses around. That's the good news. The bad news is that only 10 percent of them are exporting. Our challenge -- not only mine as International Trade Minister but all of ours, as Canadians -- is to increase that number and to change our trade culture to the point where Canadian businesses, large and small, seize the opportunities that await them beyond our borders. To encourage that, I have created a special unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) devoted specifically to SMEs. Recently, DFAIT held a video conference and knowledge café on opportunities in China for SMEs. The event was held simultaneously in nine cities across Canada and included a direct link with senior Canadian trade representatives in China and Hong Kong. It was certainly an innovative event and demonstrates how DFAIT is working to use high technology to disseminate market information to new export-ready firms seeking to expand their international commerce. We have also launched a number of programs and an entire range of services designed to meet the particular needs of SMEs. Many of the departments and agencies involved with these services are here today. I encourage you to talk with them and get a feel for the kind of support that is available. For example, we have created a huge data base called WIN Exports, which helps to match what Canadians have to sell with what the world wants to buy. By registering your business with WIN Exports, you become part of that data base and our Trade Commissioners around the world can be on the lookout for potential customers on your behalf. And in order to simplify things for SMEs, we have brought all federal government trade promotion services under one umbrella called Team Canada Inc. This builds on the spirit and success of our Team Canada Trade Missions. There is information on Team Canada Inc here today, and I invite you to take a look at it. We have also gone on line to make information easier to obtain. "ExportSource" is a Web site that contains all the information SMEs could want on exporting. No more running from department to department -- just a click of the mouse, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Similarly, you can call the Export Information Service anywhere in Canada at 1-888-811-1119 to access the Team Canada Inc service that you need. And the number one asset to help SMEs export is the Trade Commissioner Service, which operates through our network of embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad. The demand for service has gone up dramatically in recent years and so we are redeploying our people. By the year 2006 we will have 70 percent of our Trade Commissioners in the field. Of course, a key concern for any small business is financing. The Export Development Corporation [EDC] has created a special unit devoted to meeting the needs of smaller businesses. Again, there are EDC representatives here today, so take advantage of this opportunity and learn what it has to offer you. The final component of today's seminar is selling Canada to the world. Just as we need to encourage more of our own business to seek out opportunities abroad, we also need to bring international investment to Canada. To do that, we need to get out the message about what Canada has to offer. And in those efforts you can be our best ambassadors. Through your connections both at home and abroad, you can help dispel some of the outdated notions about Canada. The fact is that we have an economic climate second to none. With low interest rates, low inflation, a dynamic and diverse economy, world-leading technologies, an educated work force and a superb infrastructure -- not to mention our position as a gateway to the vast North American marketplace, including our NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] partner Mexico -- Canada offers a nearly ideal place for international investment. Sometimes we Canadians are a bit too reluctant to blow our own horn, but the fact is that we live in the best country in the world. And the United Nations agrees with that! The International Monetary Fund predicts that Canada will lead the G-7 in both economic growth and job creation in 1999. And the Economist Intelligence Unit calls Canada one of the top five places in the world in which to do business over the next few years. So let's get that message out. Let's tell people about the study by KPMG which compared the cost of doing business in seven of the top economies of the world -- including the United States -- and ranked Canada as number one. Let's tell them that ours is a high-tech economy, fired by information technology, fuelled by telecommunications and fortified by the fifth-largest aerospace industry in the world. And let's encourage international investors to bring vital capital, technology and jobs to Canada! You know, it has been said that all politics is local. The same is true of trade. There are plenty of big numbers thrown around -- so many billions of exports or millions of imports. But the fact is that behind all those numbers are individual men and women -- your neighbours and mine -- who are producing the goods, offering the services and taking the risks that generate jobs for themselves and for others. Trade isn't something that happens "out there" to other people; it is something that is going on right now in your communities. And it is something that you can be a part of. I know that Tony Valeri and Walt Lastewka will be hosting sessions this afternoon and I don't want to eat into their time. Let me just say again how much I have appreciated this chance to be with you and to share some thoughts about the world of opportunity that is unfolding for Canadians. By building on our cultural connections, encouraging more companies to export, and selling the benefits of Canada to other businesspeople in other lands, I believe we can create opportunities for ourselves and for our children that our parents could never have dreamed of. That is the strength of our country and that is its promise for the future. Thank you. </body> </html>

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