(September 18, 2009) Trade, health care, water and energy issues were among the topics of discussion yesterday when the California Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting with the new consul general of Canada.
Stewart Beck was appointed consul general of Canada in August 2009 with accreditation for Northern California, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam.
Also in attendance was Monica Arriola, senior political and economic relations officer for the San Francisco office of the Consulate General of Canada.
California-Canada Trade
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| Stewart Beck (left), Consul General of Canada, Allan Zaremberg, CalChamber President and CEO |
Canada has remained California's second largest export market since 2006, with a total value of $17.7 billion in 2008, which accounts for 12 percent of all California exports.
Computers and electronic products remained California’s largest exports, accounting for 32 percent of all California exports to Canada. Exports of machinery and chemicals from California to Canada grew to total more than $1.7 billion; with transportation equipment and agricultural products continuing to be strong export sectors as well.
Two-way trade with Canada supports an estimated 832,000 jobs in California, according to a March 2007 study by the Bay Area Economic Forum (BAEF).
According to the BAEF study, Canada:
- is the top foreign buyer of California agricultural products;
- supplies 23 percent of California’s natural gas and a third of its hydropower;
- is one of California’s largest sources of tourists, sending more visitors to California than any country except Mexico;
- attracted more than $760 million in investment from Silicon Valley venture capital firms between 2002 and 2006, with Canadian venture capital firms investing nearly $230 million in Silicon Valley during the same period.
Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership
Most recently Beck was head of the Government of Canada’s Foreign Direct Investment, International Innovation and International Business Development Branch. Under his management, he established the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP) and worked to establish global links with several Canadian innovation clusters and incubators.
In March, CalChamber hosted a meeting of the CCSIP, which serves as a catalyst for collaborative research, development and delivery between two innovation-intensive jurisdictions: California, one of the most dynamic innovation engines on earth; and Canada, a leading country in university research intensity.
Far greater than the sum of its parts, the partnership is:
- Stimulating the launch of revolutionary research, development and delivery projects that promise to provide economic and social benefits to citizens in both Canada and California;
- Bringing together brilliant minds and innovation resources from California and Canada;
- Facilitating leadership and action on key global sustainability challenges facing the planet today.
More information is available at the partnership website, www.ccsip.org.
2007 Trade Mission to Canada
In May 2007, California Chamber of Commerce President Allan Zaremberg joined Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, members of the press and a diverse business delegation for a three-day trade mission to Canada to promote California products, services and tourist destinations.
Stewart Beck
Beck joined Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1982 as a trade commissioner.
He expanded Canada's foreign direct investment program, and worked with many organizations like Forbes and The Association for Corporate Growth to increase investment in Canada and to activate the Canadian brand. He also oversaw the Trade Commissioner Service, a network with more than 140 offices around the world, pursuing global business opportunities for Canadian companies or foreign subsidiaries working or headquartered in Canada.
For more information about California-Canada trade, check out the trading partner portal in the international section of the CalChamber website at www.calchamber.com/Canada.
Staff Contact: Susanne Stirling