Strengthening our trade and investment relationship with Canada

A conversation between Ibec CEO Danny McCoy and The Honourable Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade

PLUS: Follow on discussions with Dr. Melita Gabric, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada, and Dr. Eamonn McKee , Ambassador of Ireland to Canada

Please join us for a conversation between Ibec CEO Danny McCoy and The Honourable Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, on our shared values and the opportunities the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) offers for business (particularly SMEs) and society.

CETA is fully compatible with EU law and values, and is a progressive agreement responding to the challenges and concerns of the 21st century. It serves and an important instrument that helps bind the economies of the EU and Canada even more closely together to create opportunities for companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Having an option of this kind of market diversification is critically important as our businesses respond to the ongoing challenges presented by Brexit and the Covid 19 pandemic.

Canada also has a lot in common with Ireland: shared values, complementary global outlooks, export-focussed trade, and a common commitment to a rules-based, multilateral international order. As trading nations, our economic recovery depends on strengthening our trade and investment relationship with close partners. CETA provides a framework to deliver on this goal.

Following the discussion with Minister Ng, Danny will be joined by Dr. Eamonn McKee , Ambassador of Ireland to Canada who will provide his views from the ground in Canada on current and potential opportunities, and current Irish business activity and engagement. The event wraps up with a conversation between Danny and Dr. Melita Gabric, the new Ambassador of the European Union to Canada who will highlight opportunities for the EU more broadly discussing the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of the Delegation of the EU to Canada and the year ahead for the EU-Canada strategic partnership in the lead up to the next EU-Canada Leaders’ Summit set to take place later this year in Brussels; the opportunities CETA provides for businesses in the European Union; and her priorities for advancing broader areas of transatlantic alignment such as climate, digital, gender equality and Covid recovery.