International Trade Committee on Nov. 8th, 2017

[Michelle Jorge]

Here, when I deal with Canadian-based businesses or persons of Canadian background, I notice that they get to a meeting, they're there to finish what they started, they start on time, and they get through it and get it done.

The culture is very different there. Things take a lot of time. You're going to have to have a lot of meetings where—and this might be a little frustrating for people who don't have that background in the culture—it takes a long time to develop the business relationship. I find that here we're more of a culture where we're always in a hurry, we always have to be somewhere, we always have to finish on time. It's not like that there. Time is very relaxed there.

[Matthew Correia]

It's the guanxi, the intercultural communications.

[Michelle Jorge]

Yes.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Beck, is there a piece of information about Germany?

[Thomas Beck]

This is my honest opinion. Canada has a huge bonus in Europe. Canada is a country that they really love in Europe, so I can only say to Canadians to stay as you are. You will find a lot of open doors if you have good products and make it easier. Germans are a little bit more direct. They tell you exactly what they want. They are not as polite as Canadians are. They come more quickly to the point. However, it's the same in Portugal. They speak very good English there, and you are welcome there. You have to be careful in every country with the local laws, that you choose the right people, but you can get a lot of help. We like to help Canadian companies. They can come to us. They can go to the embassy. You have a very good embassy in Berlin. We work together very closely with them. They have a good Canadian and German staff to help their companies. So, there are all the ingredients there to be successful on the market.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you. We have the last segment for MPs.

Ms. Ludwig, you have the floor. Go ahead.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you all for your presentations today. I'm going to make a little bit of a twist and ask you some questions about imports, looking at opportunities within both of your associations. There are many companies internationally that would like to import to Canada. We have well-fuelled supply chains, people who understand the Canadian market. Often, looking internationally, people would say if you're going to export, try to do a joint venture or partnership.

What do you see as opportunities for Canadian companies that may not be looking to export but are looking to expand with companies internationally from your areas that would like to export to Canada?

[Michelle Jorge]

I think we can both speak to that. I think dairy, absolutely.

[Matthew Correia]

Agriculture is number one in terms of what comes from Portugal to Canada.

[Michelle Jorge]

The quality of the dairy products is out of this world. I have a specific example. There's an island in the Azores where they play violins to their cows to improve the quality of the meat, of the milk. It's to that degree. I know that they stole the idea from the Japanese, but dairy is absolutely—

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Could you expand on that just a little bit further? I have a dairy producer in my riding who's very concerned about CETA, but I've said to him at different times that there are opportunities for companies that are planning to export to Canada that do not have the expertise on the ground; he does.

How do you see that opportunity working?

[Michelle Jorge]

Sorry, can you...?

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

So that the Canadian dairy producer does not feeling so threatened, how could we tell that person that there are opportunities on the importing side?

[Michelle Jorge]

I think if partnerships are developed, they can actually learn from each other and work together collaboratively so that both sides can be successful with importing and exporting. I don't think it has to be one-sided. I think there are opportunities for market development on both ends.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you.

Is there time for Mr. Beck to answer, as well?

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Go ahead.

[Thomas Beck]

There are so many products all over Europe that we could successfully, especially since your opening with CETA, distribute in Canada. Again, I think the best way, if you want to meet these people and get a feeling for their products, is to go to one of the big trade fairs.

I mentioned the ProWein, in Düsseldorf. It's the world's largest wine fair. We have over 3,000 exhibitors. That's quite a bit. You can take the MEDICA, which is the world's largest medical trade fair. We have the Anuga, in Cologne. You can find any dairy product and whatever. Why not take something from there as well, and put that in your Canadian distribution chain and then make a good amount of money with it?

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I might just ask you to expand a little bit on that. If I'm a first-time exporter or looking to expand a little further in the exporting field, if there are 3,000 exhibitors and if I'm a member of your association, would you help me to narrow down who I might stop to visit, and do you look at the qualifications before the trade fair?

[Thomas Beck]

We represent Messe Düsseldorf. This is one of Germany's largest trade fairs here, but you can also go to Messe Cologne or to Messe Munich, Hamburg, or Berlin, and they have plenty of excellent trade fairs there.

We can give Canadian companies and Canadian individuals some ideas as to what it costs and whether they should go. They can rent booths through our office here in Toronto. They can call us anytime or they can just get a visitor pass and we can help them with finding the right quota and all of these kinds of things.

For somebody who's not very familiar with what Europe has to offer or even with what the world has to offer, I would definitely go on one of these big trade fairs and have a look, and you'll come easily into contact with people. Why not, if you have a certain cheese, take three or more, from Germany, from Portugal, from France, wherever, and put those in your portfolio if you have a good distribution already in your province?

I think, by the way, that Canada has nothing to fear, because we make excellent cheeses here.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

All right, thank you.

[Thomas Beck]

I think they have quality similar to those in Europe, for example, in France. I buy a lot of Canadian cheese because I love it. It's great cheese. It's a little bit expensive, by the way, but....

[A voice]

That's another story.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you. That wraps up the questioning.

I have a comment.

A gentleman from Germany visited my island of Cape Breton, which I represent, for pleasure. About 30 years ago, he set up in window manufacturing, a very successful polytech.... Now he's not only making wonderful windows, but he's thinking of exporting them into the United States. I think there's a big window of opportunity for companies from Europe using Canada as a stepping stone for that U.S. market, which is also big.

That ends our round.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for those wonderful presentations.

Thank you, MPs, for the good dialogue back and forth.

Our study will be coming out at the first of January or the middle of January, and we'll distribute a copy to all our witnesses.

Thank you, again. I hope everybody enjoys the rest of their day.

[Thomas Beck]

Thank you.

All the best to Ottawa.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

For the MPs, we're going to do some in-house business.

[Proceedings continue in camera]