International Trade Committee on May 5th, 2026

[Souad Elmallem]

I see no danger at all. If I had, I would not have succeeded in leading six industrial projects and in having my own company on the continent.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

Go ahead, Mr. McKenzie, for five minutes, please.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Fadili, you mentioned energy as one of the opportunities for trade and increased trade relationships. I do believe I'm still the only member of Parliament on this committee who hails from western Canada, a place in Canada where we produce a great deal of energy.

Among the things I've read about north Africa and west Africa is that there's significant petroleum production, both crude oil and natural gas. North Africa, in particular, has become a very important supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe. This is a result of challenges with Russian natural gas supply.

Do you have any comment on that? It seems that there's both great production and growing opportunities for import, and I presume that is primarily due to an increased need for energy. Again, it's something you mentioned earlier.

[Hamid Fadili]

Thank you for the question.

Given the sensitive nature of my position, I am not really going to go into depth in my answers. However, I can say that the energy sector is changing completely. Take renewable energy in Morocco as an example. The sector is growing by leaps and bounds. It is up to Canada to see the fit we could have with certain countries in terms of renewable energy.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Thank you very much.

I have a second question for you.

I wonder about the importance of the diaspora of individuals resident in Canada now who have family connections, business connections or heritage that traces back to Africa and the importance of mobilizing the diaspora, here in Canada, for trade purposes.

Do you have a view on that?

[Hamid Fadili]

We know that the diaspora can play an important role in bringing countries together. That is certainly the case today, because we know that it is not self-evident, especially because there is no history, human or social, between Canada and Africa. The ties are really recent. So efforts must be made to get to know one another in order for the two sides of the Atlantic to come together.

In geographic terms, we are close to the Atlantic. As I mentioned earlier, the distance is not really great when compared to some parts of the world where the relationship is deeper. However, I would say that the diaspora can indeed play a very important role in bringing the two sides together, whether in terms of investments, society or culture. It's a French-speaking region, actually a significant cradle of the francophonie. It is worth Canada's while to get to know the other party. That's all I can say.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Thank you.

Ms. Elmallem, you have your hand up on your screen.

[Souad Elmallem]

Yes.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

I'm going to presume that means you'd like to comment on the same subject: the importance of the diaspora in Canada.

[Souad Elmallem]

Yes, I would. Thank you for the question.

Actually, I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that I am the president of an organization called United Actions for Africa. It is a group made up of the African diaspora in Canada and around the world. Our mission is very clear: We try to make sure that a link to the continent is maintained and to work on constructive projects from Canada to Africa.

All the members of my organization are professionals, businesspeople and entrepreneurs in various sectors. They work not only to promote that bridge, but also to create it. We develop genuine projects that we are already working on in order to be involved in building projects for the African continent. We count on each member's knowledge and relationships on the continent.

Some members of the group were in the African diaspora elsewhere. Now they have businesses in Africa, hence the solidarity of the group.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Mr. McKenzie.

We'll move on to Mr. Lavoie for five minutes, please.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My thanks to the witnesses for joining us. I am sharing my time with my colleague Mr. Ehsassi.

My question is for Mr. Fadili and Ms. Elmallem. The question will be the same, so perhaps each could reply in 30 seconds.

The committee recently heard from officials from Export Development Canada, or EDC. The organization supports companies around the world, often helping banks with the security of banking services. The EDC officials stated that they had only one representative in Africa.

My question has two parts. Is that enough? If not, how many would it take?

[Souad Elmallem]

I can start, Mr. Lavoie.

It is true that there is only one. There used to be several, but the number has unfortunately been reduced.

The subject of EDC is key. I have been involved myself. I am going to be frank because it is important that the truth be told. I was involved in some projects. The private sector was ready to be part of a project to the continent. But we heard that EDC was not ready because of the risks associated with supporting projects of that kind with mechanisms that, in my opinion, are quite archaic and make no sense today.

It's a valid issue. I have already made the case for changing things to EDC.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Fadili, could you answer the question in 30 seconds?

[Hamid Fadili]

I echo Ms. Elmallem's comment.

Canada certainly should bolster its presence in Africa, and not only through EDC, but also through the other organizations that exist to support our Canadian companies.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you.

Allow me to start by thanking all three of the witnesses. You obviously come at this with many years of experience.

For the purposes of preparing our report and adopting some recommendations, I thought I would ask if any of you had any concrete suggestions insofar as the trade commissioner service is concerned in Africa. Has it been helpful? How can we realign it to do a better job?

Any of you can respond first.

Ms. Vachon, would you like to start?

[Ruth Vachon]

It's important to be really familiar with the market. The focus must be clear, so that we can deal with “our” clients, not clients in general. If we want our companies to become the HVTs of the world, we have to accept that they must start small first so that they can grow. Maybe the services will have to be different, but, at the very least, there must be a presence, for all Canadians.

That's my main recommendation.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Did you find it was inaccessible, or did it not know the market?

[Ruth Vachon]

It's not that they are not accessible. It's just that 98% of the clients we represent are small businesses.

Since we represent small companies, we are sometimes left behind a little. In addition, when we work with programs with different suppliers, it can be complicated because our organization is multisectoral. When trade commissioners who specialize in one area show up, they have difficulty serving us.

It might take someone on the inside who would act as a kind of “dispatcher” for all sectors. That would help us a lot. They must also accept all their clients. We don't necessarily need full-time attention, but we do need services to be provided to small business, not just big business.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Fadili or Ms. Elmallem, do you have any particular observations, concrete suggestions or recommendations?

[Souad Elmallem]

Personally, I can add to what Ms. Vachon said. I agree with her but I would add one thing.

The service that the trade commissioners provide goes from A to B, but not from B to C or C to D. When you are involved in a major project, it's often important to have good support. I am not blowing my own horn, but the support that 6temik, my company, provides goes beyond putting people in touch for the first time. This requires specific expertise, such as the knowledge of a sector, subsidies, proper negotiating, proper support and comprehensive project management.

The team may include the trade commissioners or all the services we have in Canada. But in international projects, we have to be sure that the team is made up of people who know a specific market. For me, that's crucial.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Savard-Tremblay, you have two and a half minutes, please.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Thank you.

Ms. Elmallem, let me go back to your answer to my last question, the one that followed the conversation with Ms. Vachon. You said that you did not sense any aggressive competition. You also stated that the perception of risk vis-à-vis the African continent has to change, so that we stop seeing any risks in our dealings with Africa. But the risks are real. I understand that you are not dealing with the government, but institutional corruption still affects companies. There is forced labour and violence in that part of the world.

I understand that perceptions have to change, but, in your opinion, which risks are really serious and well founded?

[Souad Elmallem]

Is that question for me, Mr. Savard-Tremblay?