<html>
<head>
<meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 10">
<meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<style>
p
{
margin-top: 0px;
margin-bottom: 1px
}
body
{
font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;
font-size: 12pt;
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">July 26, 2006<br>
SAN FRANCISCO, California<br>
2006/13<br>
</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="text-decoration: underline">CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY</span></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">THE HONOURABLE DAVID L. EMERSON,</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE,</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center; line-height: 0.416667in"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">AT THE OFFICIAL RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY AT THE CANADIAN
CONSULATE GENERAL, SAN FRANCISCO</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">I am delighted to be in San Francisco to open our new Consulate General, and to meet
everyone in the Consulate General who is working hard to strengthen our trade and
investment with California. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">California is a very important market for Canada. California’s economy — number eight
in the world — offers a deep, rich and dynamic market for Canadian businesses,
investors and consumers. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">In fact, we export more to this state alone than we do to Japan, the United Kingdom
and China put together — with over US$22 billion in exports last year. And Canada is
this state’s third-largest export market after Mexico and Japan. Total two-way trade
reached US$32 billion in 2005.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">And we certainly recognize the significance of the Bay Area. San Francisco has the
largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies after New York. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">It is home to the driving force behind the technological revolution — Silicon Valley. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">It is a world leader in biotech and life sciences, as well as a cultural, intellectual and
artistic capital. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">And this is home to more than 300,000 Canadians who live, work and study in the Bay
area. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">The Bay area encompasses the largest pool of venture capital in the world. Clearly,
Canada has much to gain from a closer relationship. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">And we have much to offer. Canada is home to a leading-edge information technology
sector and a growing biotechnology industry. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">We’re a new energy superpower — the fifth-largest energy producer in the world, and
the United States’ top supplier. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">We have a highly skilled network of researchers, universities and think tanks. We enjoy
the lowest business costs in the G8. And we have an innovative, open economy, one
that’s grounded in our commercial relationship with the United States, and is rapidly
extending around the world. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">We have already made a substantial economic footprint in this state. Well over 600,000
California jobs are directly dependent on Canada-California trade. Bay-area landmarks
have also made this state a popular vacation destination for Canadians, with more than
one million visits last year, contributing over US$710 million to the state economy. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Businesses, investors and customers on both sides of the border have much to gain
from a closer Canada-California trade relationship. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">But creating new opportunities for businesses and investors doesn’t happen by itself. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Just ask Consul General LePage, or our Senior Trade Commissioner here in San
Francisco, Barbara Giacomin. They will tell you: it requires an enormous amount of
work. It requires people on both sides of the border working together to make the right
connections and develop the right partnerships that will benefit both of our economies. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Partnerships like the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnerships Initiative.
Through this program, we’re drawing our world-class universities, research and
development institutions, and business sectors closer together in a range of areas. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">This is a great example of how we can draw together the valuable and innovative work
happening in each of our countries, and bring our commercial relationship to the next
level. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">I’m here today to tell you that Canada’s new government is committed to this
relationship. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">And with the opening of this new Consulate General, we’re demonstrating our desire to
build on our already strong commercial links, boost two-way investments, and cement
Canada-California relations for the years to come. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">That’s why I’m honoured to be here today as we officially open this upgraded Canadian
Consulate General, and write the next chapter in the Canada-California trade
relationship. </span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Thank you.</span></p>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>
