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For Oral Answer on : 27/06/2024
Question Number(s): 25 Question Reference(s): 27426/24
Department: Foreign Affairs
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, with reference to “Global Ireland: Ireland’s Strategy for the US and Canada 2019 to 2025”, he will report on progress made in respect of Canada; his further plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
“Global Ireland: Ireland’s Strategy for the US and Canada 2019 – 2025” was launched in 2019, part of the Government’s Global Ireland programme. The Strategy aims to strengthen Ireland’s unique relationships with the United States and Canada, building upon our existing deep ties based on ancestral links, embedded trading relationships and ongoing people-to-people links. Ireland and Canada this year celebrate 85 years of diplomatic relations.
The Government has substantially delivered on its commitment to significantly strengthen Ireland’s diplomatic presence in Canada. A new Consulate General in Vancouver opened in 2018 followed in 2022 by a new Consulate General in Toronto, trebling Ireland’s diplomatic footprint in Canada.
Complementing this fulltime diplomatic presence Ireland has a number of honorary consuls in Canada, in the Provinces of Alberta (Calgary), Newfoundland and Labrador (St Johns) and Nova Scotia (Halifax). I this year appointed another two honorary consuls, in the Provinces of Alberta (Edmonton) and Quebec, announcing these appointments during my visit to Canada last March for St Patrick’s Day.
Ireland’s diplomatic presence is further strengthened by the presence of State agencies in Canada. Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Tourism Ireland have offices in Toronto and Enterprise Ireland is also present in Montréal.
This strengthened State presence has allowed significant high level political engagement between Canada and Ireland. For St Patrick’s Day this year, I travelled to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. I had significant community and political engagements, including meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau.
While in Toronto, I announced an Irish Government investment of CA$2 million in the Corleck Centre, a major new venue for arts and heritage programming also supported by the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto and other donors. I also announced that the new Consulate General and the State agencies in Toronto will operate from a single Ireland House premises.
Since provisional application of CETA provisions in September 2017, Irish businesses have benefitted from the elimination of tariffs on almost all key exports, access to the Canadian procurement market, the easing of regulatory barriers, and more transparent rules for market access. Provisional application of CETA has seen a quantum growth in trade with goods exports to Canada increasing from €936 million in 2016 to €4.1 billion in 2023 (+438%), while services exports grew from €1.44 billion in 2016 to €3.4 billion in 2022 (+236%, latest available figures). Ireland and Canada now boast an important, two-way economic relationship valued at €10 billion each year, generating significant employment opportunities. Here in Ireland, around 75 Canadian companies employ an estimated 15,000 Irish citizens, while 400 Irish companies employ approximately 6,000 Canadians.
