July 26, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, today concluded a week-long visit to British Columbia, where she connected with local businesses and government officials to advance international trade opportunities across a variety of key sectors.

Minister Ng began her visit in Whistler at the 33rd Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Annual Summit. There, she joined hundreds of leaders from Canada and the United States to strengthen ties between provinces, territories and states in the Pacific Northwest region. She highlighted Canada’s work to advance the trade relationship with the United States, as well as our shared efforts to address challenges and promote prosperity.

Following the summit, the Minister engaged with representatives of the District of Squamish and led a round-table with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, where she met companies that have succeeded in the international market thanks to the Trade Accelerator Program run by World Trade Centre – Vancouver. She also met with representatives of British Columbia-based businesses, such as the Indigenous-owned Skwálwen Botanicals Ltd., the experimental design studio Tangible Interaction Design, and Clio, a software developer that is growing with the help of Canada’s Global Hypergrowth Project. Throughout her discussions, Minister Ng heard about exporters’ needs, and discussed ways for them to expand globally.

Minister Ng concluded her tour by participating in a round-table meeting with women exporters and entrepreneurs in Vancouver, hosted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. There, she showcased international trade opportunities for women-owned businesses, including in the Indo-Pacific region, and expressed Canada’s continued commitment to empowering women in trade.