Nova Scotia is targeting the European Union for the next step in global trade.
Premier Stephen McNeil announced the launch of the province’s Nova Scotia-European Engagement Strategy at the Centre for Ocean Venture and Entrepreneurship in Dartmouth on Thursday.
McNeil also announced he is will be leading a trade mission to Europe and China, leaving Monday for Ireland on WestJet’s first direct flight to Dublin.
The mission will continue to Amsterdam, Brussels, Portugal and France, before heading to Guangdong province in China.
McNeil said tensions between China and Canada over the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, at the request of the United States, and the continuing drama over Britain’s decision to leave the EU, will not derail his government’s vision for increased trade.
“This was always part of our strategy in the last five years,” McNeil said after his prepared comments. “This is the final phase of our three-pronged approach to global exporting, but I can tell you Asia is an important part and will continue to be an important part of our go-forward, that is why I’m going.
“The issues with our two national governments will be there. It’s the same issue in the EU with Brexit. Those things will happen. The day after, we still need to compete. We need to be in that marketplace and I want to make sure that Governor Ma (Xingrui), who I’ve built a personal relationship with, recognizes that we as a province and as a government, are committed to this marketplace, not only to import our product, but quite frankly to welcome them into North America, into Halifax and into Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada.”
The trade mission will include government officials from the departments of fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, intergovernmental affairs and Nova Scotia Business Inc. Executives with the Halifax International Airport Authority will also go, as well as others from the private sector.
Jean-Paul Deveau, president and CEO of Acadian Seaplants, said his company is “very pleased” with the development of business, as it has been doing business in 17 of the 28 countries in the EU for 10 to 15 years.
“In addition to that, we’ve made investments into Ireland and in Scotland by buying companies over there, and those investments allow us to create a bigger critical mass, makes us a bigger, stronger company, and then a bigger, stronger company can really go out there and take on the world,” Deveau said.
The company makes seaweed-based products for food, agricultural, and biochemical markets.
“There is no substitute for having a strategy that you are going to implement to address those particular markets. We need to be careful, we need to watch what we’re doing, but the strategy, if you have your strategy correct, you can work around the Brexits, around the U.S. administration, and around the challenges that we have in different parts of the world,” Deveau said.
McNeil also put out a direct appeal for more private companies to get on board with the strategy and the mission, highlighting the opportunities now in place with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU.
