Mr. Van Kesteren and I.
Evidence of meeting #84 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was poland.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #84 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was poland.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
Thank you, Madam Lapointe.
We're going to move over to the Conservatives.
Mr. Allison, you have the floor.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
To our witnesses, thank you for being here today.
I love the fact that you are doing seminars and trying to encourage other.... Could you give us examples of any successes? How has it worked out? I realize it's a case of trying to make people aware of what's going on. Do you have any tangible results in terms of companies having done business as a result of it? Could you give me an example of your trade delegations from which, as Peter has mentioned, there has been some investment back in Canada as a result?
Do you have any examples for us from those of how it has worked out?
5:10 p.m.
Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario
Usually, a trade delegation is the starting point. It's a starting point to have the opportunity and the possibility to start business relations. For example, about four years ago, we had a delegation here in Toronto from Milan. It was an ICT delegation in digital media. For each participating company, we organized meetings here with potential partners. One of the companies that came with that trade delegation actually became one of the companies that used our virtual offices and soft landing here in Toronto. They stayed with us for over a year. They opened a company here, so now they are incorporated in Canada. This is one example, but there could be more.
This was in ICT, but we had another company in the furniture and interior design sector that came. We organized B-to-B meetings over a three-day period. They realized there was potential, and now they've opened a company here. It's called Trevisana Kitchens and Interiors, and they're doing contract work with major building companies and providing kitchen furniture for this. They've been working now for the past three years at least.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Excellent. You talked about seminars. How would you describe your chamber? Are they fairly well versed? Do they understand what needs to happen in terms of the services that are available through Canada? When you do seminars on trading with Europe, does that include export development and various programs that the Canadians have? How would you judge your chamber in terms of their knowledge and ability? We hear time and again that SMEs struggle with the knowledge. Larger companies obviously get it. They have people on staff who help them with these things. Can you comment briefly on that?
5:15 p.m.
Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario
For small and medium-sized companies, as you said, it's harder to get a grasp of how everything works, and that's why we're here. For example—just a simple thing—how do you export wines with the LCBO? How does the LCBO work? There are regulations that we need to explain, and obviously the SMEs need more explanation and more support. That's why we're here.
When we cannot provide the information, we go through our members and the experts who are part of our association. Even with CETA, there are a lot of questions that the companies have. We try to answer them all, but we don't have the information directly, so we try to put them in contact with the people who do have more details. It's a one-by-one type of service. At a seminar, you can give the general idea, and then it's important to assist every single company as far as what their requirements are; labelling, what's changing in labelling with CETA—ingredients, what's allowed—and what the tariffs are and how they're going to change. Obviously, each company has particular needs, and we need to address those one by one. That's what we try to do.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Yes, very quickly, I was talking about the Quo Vadis conferences, and the young people who get together around Canada every year. About three years ago, we had a gentleman who was inspired at the conference, and he decided to go to Poland to start producing a car that used to be made in Poland in the 1940s or 1930s, or something like that. Obviously, it's the other way; it's not coming to Canada, but that's a specific example. I can tell you, yes, we inspire and we promote, and all these kinds of things, but there are specific examples of people who have actually done something from these conferences.
Another thing I was thinking about when you asked your question is that I wish you had invited more young people like me who are actually doing business with Poland, such as the gentleman I just mentioned with the cars. He's a Polish immigrant. He would have a lot to say. May I suggest that maybe there should be more young business people next time.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
Thank you. That's a great idea. We'll take your advice on that one.
We're going to move over to the Liberals now.
Madam Ludwig, you have the floor.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Thank you.
I'd like to go back, Anna, to your discussion with Madam Lapointe about the exchange students. I represent a riding in eastern Canada, in New Brunswick. We had the Atlantic partnership program. With that Atlantic initiative we were only focusing on immigration. One area we are focusing on is encouraging international students to stay.
What types of opportunities would be there for your exchange students to stay in Canada after they graduate?
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
May I ask you a question? Is there a federal student exchange program between Canada and Europe right now besides youth mobility or the Canada experience program or anything like that?
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
I think there is a lot of opportunity in that.
The other question you asked me before was whether the university students who came stayed. They didn't because it's an exchange, but I feel that there's a lot of opportunity—especially in Windsor, in that we have that partnership—to even make this a Canada-wide partnership whereby the federal government could help with an exchange program or something like it.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Certainly as part of the immigration policy there could be some opportunities with the exchange students and looking at their areas of study. Often international students, let's say from Saudi Arabia, will come over and take business training. What a phenomenal opportunity for us to draw upon Saudi students who have chosen, most often for language and for safety and other reasons, to study here in Canada. We should encourage them to stay and then also teach us about the opportunities for business in their areas.
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
I absolutely agree.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Great. Thank you.
When you're talking about young people, what do you think the greatest challenges are with young people becoming involved with trade?
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Money.
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Yes. We're educated, but we really don't have the money. If some funds could be funnelled into new businesses, maybe focused on new immigrants or young people under a certain age—you'd cap it somewhere.... If there were some program to help people start off and get off the ground, I really think it would be very valuable to every ethnic community here in Canada for young people to start businesses.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
About 20 years ago there was a program called the export partnering program. It would partner college or university students up with businesses. As my colleague Mr. Allison mentioned about internships, there was a great synergy there.
Would a type of program like that be beneficial not only for the students but also for the businesses in the multicultural environment?
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Is this employment and funding for a new business—something like that, in conjunction?
October 30th, 2017 / 5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
The way that program ran was that the students would work on a project directly with a new business or an export-ready business or in helping a business become export ready. They would do the research. They would do a lot of the homework that the business owner wouldn't know to look for or not have the time to look for. They would gain valuable skills. The employer or the business would gain, it could be a business plan or exporting opportunities, something that could help in looking at the competitor analysis or in determining where and how to qualify buyers. They'd both end with a great experience: one, the students have experience in industry while they're still students; and two, the business owner potentially and ideally has a business plan. In my experience, often in the end the business typically hired the students.
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Absolutely that sounds great. I can tell you from personal experience that I've been thinking about starting my own business. I reached out to the small business organization in Windsor. They have a mentorship program and can provide a grant, if you do all the steps they ask you to, which is exactly what young people I think are looking for. The traineeship and a grant and focusing on young people is, I think, the way to go right now.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
If we looked at mentors, are there mentors whom you can think of? I know your area is Windsor. Are there mentors whom you see today in industry who you think would be great to work with young people in your area?
5:20 p.m.
Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor
Absolutely. I can name you a few.