Rethinking Canada's Interest in Europe
October 22, 2004 Only five weeks into his new job, H.E. Paul Dubois, Canadian ambassador to Germany, is already excited about the future relationship between Canada and Germany.
Speaking on a variety of topics from immigration to investment opportunities, Dubois wants Canadians to know that Canada is admired in Germany, which is significant considering Germany's position as the economic power in the European Union. Dubois talked at a Board of Trade breakfast sponsored by Lufthansa and MTU Maintenance Canada.
"Germans are interested in cutting-edge culture, and Vancouver, in particular, is seen as the 'in culture' currently in Germany," said Dubois, commenting that culture and business are interlinked in Germany. Dubois said there are many similarities between our two countries, such as our values, our multi-cultural societies and our international views.
"Typically, English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians look economically at Europe through England and France respectively," said Dubois. "But only two countries within the European Union have England and France as their number one trading partner, whereas eighteen countries in the European Union have Germany as their primary trading partner." But trade isn't what Dubois wants to see grow between our two countries; he'd rather see more investment. "Only 5.3 per cent of our exports go to the entire European Union, compared with 80 per cent to the USA," said Dubois. "But goods produced and sold within Germany by Canadian companies have four times more worth than bilateral trade figures." Plus, German investment in Canada creates roughly 100,000 jobs annually, so it's in Canada's best interest to attract more German investments, and vice-versa. And how does he expect this to happen? "By learning more about one another," said Dubois, who told the audience about the implementation of a program that will issue many more travel and work visas for Germans and Canadians wishing to explore our respective cultures. This content was provided courtesy of the Vancouver Board of Trade. To read more related articles, go to www.boardoftrade.com.
