June 8, 2007

CalChamber President Zaremberg Joins
Governor on Trade Mission to Canada

California Chamber President Allan Zaremberg and CalChamber member Margaret Wong of McWong Environmental & Energy Group attend a business networking reception during the trade mission to Canada. Photo Courtesy Governor’s Office

California Chamber of Commerce President Allan Zaremberg led a 50-member business delegation that accompanied Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on his recent trade mission to Canada to promote California products, services and tourist destinations.

The three-day mission, May 29-31, included meetings with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in Toronto and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell in Vancouver, as well as briefings by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins and consular staff and business networking luncheons.

Canada is the second largest market for California exports, with a total value of $14.2 billion in 2006. Two-way trade with Canada supports an estimated 832,000 jobs in California, according to a study by the Bay Area Economic Forum (BAEF).

With a population and economy larger than Canada, California is a major market
for Canadian manufactured goods, energy, forest and agri-food products and a wide range of services.

Canada-California trade has grown steadily since the 1970s, accelerating with the enactment of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 1989 and the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.

Governor Touts Innovation

In remarks at the Toronto Economic Club and upon signing a memorandum of understanding with British Columbia Premier Campbell to aim for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Governor highlighted the role of business investment and innovation in developing green technology.

“California is the leading edge of what I call ‘the environmental economy,’” the Governor said in Toronto.

In British Columbia, the Governor emphasized the sales potential for companies that offer “green-clean technology products” and added that is why the memorandum he was signing with Campbell does not dictate how the goals of the greenhouse gas emission cap or low carbon fuel standards will be achieved.

“The market and the consumer choice will determine those kinds of decisions,” the Governor said.

Company Tours

Part of the business delegation’s itinerary included a visit to EnWave Energy Company to see its system of using cold energy from Lake Ontario to cool buildings in downtown Toronto, as well as a tour of Xantrex Technology Inc., which develops advanced power electronics — products that convert raw electrical power from any source into high-quality electricity. Vancouver-based Xantrex counts a site in Livermore among its additional facilities.

Trade Opportunities

The make-up of the business delegation accompanying the Governor reflected the areas of opportunity highlighted by the BAEF study on the economic importance of the Canada-California partnership — science and technology, agriculture, tourism and energy.

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.

Staff Contact: Susanne Stirling