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.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Wojciech Sniegowski  President, Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce
Andrew Sochaj  Cyclone Mfg. Inc.
Bernadette Terry  The British Canadian Chamber of Trade and Commerce
Karima-Catherine Goundiam  Red Dot Digital
Tiziana Tedesco  Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario
Anna Barycka  Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

This is something that you do independently.

Okay.

4:45 p.m.

Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario

Tiziana Tedesco

Usually we ask our members for support. If we have a law firm among our members and there's an Italian company that wants to come and set up business here, we're going to tell them to come and use use our offices, and we'll put them in touch with a law firm that can help them with all the documentation, all the paperwork, or we'll tell them that they will be able to meet with immigration, who will tell them what the requirements will be for them to open up a business. We are like a liaison between the two parties.

4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

That's great.

Could you comment also on the various free trade agreements? Do they help you do business across the borders, and do they help decrease red tape? If the free trade agreements are working for your members, are there any countries you could think of with which we ought to be pursuing them further?

4:45 p.m.

Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario

Tiziana Tedesco

Right now I'm thinking about CETA, obviously, the agreement between the EU and Canada. This year we have organized three seminars for our members and for Italian companies we've done some video conferencing and web seminars with experts from here to explain what CETA is all about and give indications to the companies of Italy. We had one seminar in September in Toronto for our members here. We had two seminars—one in Milan and one just outside Milan—via the web with local companies there, with the help of local business associations.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking

Thank you.

I'm sorry. Mr. Carrie had a question at the end that went over time, but that's all right. It was a good question.

We're going to move over to the Liberals now.

Mr. Peterson, you have the floor.

October 30th, 2017 / 4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

To our witnesses, thank you for being with us today.

We're embarking on what I think most people on this committee consider to be a very important study. One of its goals is to see how Canada and the Canadian economy can leverage the relationships we have with ethnocultural groups within our multicultural society to make sure we're getting the most we can out of trade deals, and not necessarily only trade deals, but also out of exports and imports with countries from which many new Canadians come. I think the way we do that is to study what exists now and see how it can be improved, so I appreciate your being here today.

I want to start with a couple of questions for Ms. Barycka with the Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor.

4:50 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

It's a mouthful, I know.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

I'm curious. Are there other organizations like yours across the country, or are you the pioneer and hoping that others...?

4:50 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

Is it business organizations, professional business associations, that you're asking about?

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Yes.

4:50 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

I believe we may be one of the only organizations like this in Canada, especially that has been in existence for this long.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

That's great. Congratulations. I think it's an important role.

I had the pleasure of travelling to Poland at one time. You mentioned Pope John Paul. I was in Cracow shortly after his passing, and what a remarkable outpouring that was to see. I went all the way up as far north as Gdansk, in the beautiful part of the world there. I think what you're doing is great.

Ms. Tedesco, I'm from the riding of Newmarket—Aurora. I know that many of my constituents are members of your chamber, especially some of my friends who do business in Aurora.

I have a question that applies to both of you. We see that the statistics are clear, I think, and they show that recent immigrants do a lot of business with countries that they immigrated from and are able to easily tap into existing networks and markets from their home countries, for lack of a better phrase. You two are focused on two specific countries. Do you track this information? Do you have this data? Is there a best practices about what works best and what doesn't? Is there any way we can take information that you have and apply it to other groups across Canada who might be like yours?

I'll start with Madam Tedesco.

4:50 p.m.

Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario

Tiziana Tedesco

Yes. We think the local Italian-Canadian business community here is fundamental and is a great point of reference and starting point for the development of trade and business relations between companies from Canada and Italy. It's important for us. We like to say that we have a double vision of the market reality in both countries. By having offices in Milan and in southern Italy as well—people who collaborate with us and help us identify—we're able to be present in both countries at the same time and liaise and make sure that we connect the right businesses together to develop business relations.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Thank you.

Do you have anything to add, Anna? Do you track the data? Do you know what works best? Are there certain industries or services that may be using their relationships from Poland and Canada more than others?

4:50 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

I'm not really sure I have the answer to that question. I'm sorry.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

That's okay. I just think it's important that we look at things that may be working to see whether we can replicate them in other organizations and make sure that all Canadians can leverage the best practices of what might be working when tapping into these types of relationships.

Anna, just to follow up, what do you see as the role of the groups or members whom you represent? Is it networking? Is it best practices? Is it everything it can be? Is it growing? Is the value there? Do you see it expanding in the future?

4:55 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

What I tried to stress in my presentation at the very beginning was that we work very locally. We are a Windsor organization, but our main goals are to promote, encourage, and support businesses that are in Windsor run by people of Polish heritage, and as well to support the youth who are coming out of Windsor and are staying in Windsor, to support them in any way we can, if they want to go into business.

For example, on our board of directors we have an owner of an automotive firm. We have a dentist. We have a professor at the University of Windsor. We really do want to provide mentorship opportunities for young people like me in any sort of discipline that they want to go into. We encourage people to be part of our organization so that we can help them get further in their business and professional lives.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Okay, thank you.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking

We're going to move over to the NDP,

Ms. Ramsey, you have the floor for five minutes.

4:55 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Thank you so much. It's wonderful to have two groups who are very well represented in Windsor. There's a chapter of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario in Windsor as well that is quite strong and vibrant and offers all of the services that you mentioned, Ms. Tedesco, which local businesses can tap into.

Then we have the Polish Canadian society, which really is a source of pride for us locally as well. I know you'll be having your upcoming dinner very soon, and I'm looking forward to it.

Both of you spoke to some really specific things that I believe contribute to your success.

Ms. Barycka, I want to focus on you. You talked a lot about the youth focus and its importance. We see a lot of entrepreneurship from our youth. Could you speak a little about how you're successful in mentoring the youth, in making the connections to Poland, to Polish businesses, and making sure that the trade opportunity is there for younger Polish Canadians as well?

I also want to say that I think your connection in having a twin city is critical. It creates a shared space between Windsor and Lublin. I think that's important. Of course, there's the history that you've shared. Your presentation here last year with Alexandre Kierzkowski was wonderful, highlighting the shared history that we have.

I want to ask you about that youth focus because I think it is something unique to Windsor. If you can, just expand on that and let us know what you're working on to promote young Polish Canadians in business.

4:55 p.m.

Board Director and Youth Committee Chair, Polish Canadian Business and Professional Association of Windsor

Anna Barycka

Thank you for the question.

We have a very strong young Polish community in Windsor. We have a dance group. We have the Polish Canadian Students' Association of Windsor. We have a couple of other organizations that we really like to promote. As an association, we sponsor events—everybody is always looking for money. That's how we mainly support: it's financial support and mentorship.

We also sponsor the annual Quo Vadis conferences. These conferences are something new but have been going on since 2009. Every year we have an annual Quo Vadis conference in a different city in Canada, whereby around 100 to 150 students and young professionals of Polish Canadian descent descend upon one place. We have discussions about heritage, leadership, and unity and we invite prominent Polish Canadians. This is a great venue for young people to network at. One thing money can't buy is the networking and the people you meet at such events.

As an association, I would say that our main goal is to let the youth organize themselves—they know how to do it best—but we like to provide the financial support so that they can do so. We are very youth-focused. As you can see, I'm here.

As for Lublin, it is a city that we've been partners with since the year 2000. It's one of the most vibrant. The delegations go back and forth for a number of years. We really do have a great connection with that city, because of the university partnerships, because of people on the international committee at the City of Windsor who work really hard on these relationships. It's a great venue and also a great continuation of trade relations that we can make between the two cities. It's a very strong relationship, and I think more cities should be connected to Poland that way.

5 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Ms. Tedesco, I was able to travel with Minister Champagne to Italy on the delegation. Please give my regards to Corrado. I spent some time with him there and enjoyed our time together.

I want to ask you specifically about small and medium-sized enterprises. We heard from one of our earlier panellists that this is a particular area of challenge where trade is concerned, and we certainly hear that a lot at the trade committee. I heard on the Italian trip that the small and medium-sized businesses were really struggling with the opportunities that were there.

Can you speak specifically to what work you're doing at the Ontario chamber around SMEs and opportunities that exist?

5 p.m.

Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario

Tiziana Tedesco

You're intending Canadian small and medium-sized...?

5 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Yes. How do they make the connection to establish opportunities to trade with Italy? What does that look like, and how can you facilitate it?

5 p.m.

Director, Trade Department, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario

Tiziana Tedesco

When we're in touch with small and medium-sized companies and they're interested in doing business in Italy or in Europe, we work very closely with our network of offices in Italy and in Europe. As I said, we're part of EUCCAN. We collaborate a lot with the chambers of commerce in Italy, and with the business association especially. We try to do matching work in order for the companies to find the perfect match in Italy and in Europe to conduct business there. Our strength is to have people working for us right there locally, and through them, to match the requests of the Canadian companies with the requests of Italian companies to try to facilitate potential partnerships and business relations.