Prime Minister Trudeau met UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed in 1983

Leaders inspire leaders. When a young Justin Trudeau accompanied his father Pierre, the 15th prime minister of Canada, on a state visit to the UAE in 1983 he met the country’s Founding Father Sheikh Zayed.

It wouldn’t be for another 33 years that Mr Trudeau would follow in the footsteps Sheikh Zayed and his father to lead his country as one of the most progressive prime ministers of Canada.

A photograph of an 11-year-old Trudeau shaking the hand of the late Sheikh emerged last week when Dr Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State, shared the image from his archives on Twitter.

A 35-year-old Dr Nusseibeh also seemingly attended the meeting.

Last year, the roles were reversed with the son of Sheikh Zayed, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, visiting Mr Trudeau in Canada. 

Source: The National

Talks on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (Fippa) have been continuing since 2014.

“What I want to do is bring new momentum to these nego­tiations to make sure we can conclude them in a relatively short period of time,”, said Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's minister of international trade. Vidhyaa for The National 

Canada would like to accelerate the pace of talks with the UAE on concluding a foreign investment agreement, potentially a precursor to a fully fledged free trade deal, according to its international trade minister.

“What I want to do is bring new momentum to these nego­tiations to make sure we can conclude them in a relatively short period of time,” said François-Philippe Champagne in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Talks on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (Fippa) have been continuing since 2014.

“Fippa is a first step towards a free-trade agreement,” he said.

A Fippa helps UAE investors in Canada get the same treatment as local companies and vice versa.

The UAE is Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa and its 16th largest export market globally, with Canadian merchandise exports at C$1.8 billion (Dh4.94bn) in 2016. Imports from the UAE touched C$128 million.

“What a Fippa does is to provide protection for foreign investors,” said Mr Champagne, who was appointed to his role in January. “It is really about making sure we have fair rules between our countries when it comes to investment and historically when these agreements have been put into place you see an increase in trade.”

About 150 Canadian companies are registered in the UAE, where about 45,000 Canadians live.

“The UAE is a very attractive hub for Canadian companies, for small and medium-sized businesses to use obviously to export to the whole region,” said Mr Champagne.

UAE companies are already investors in Canada, with direct investment exceeding C$30bn in 2015.

Last year, DP World struck a deal to operate its first port on the east coast of Canada by leasing a 15-hectare container depot in New Brunswick. DP World bought Fairview container terminal in Prince Rupert on the west coast, in 2015, for C$580m and it also operates two other terminals there, Centerm terminal in Port Metro, Vancouver, and Duke Point Terminal in Nanaimo.

DP World and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Canada’s second largest pension fund, are also creating a US$3.7bn financial vehicle to invest globally, excluding the UAE.

Canada is pursuing an aggressive international trade agenda, with a focus on Japan, China and India. It also plans to pass a bill on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement after it was ratified by the European Parliament last month.

Canada is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact grouping 11 countries that border the Pacific Ocean – the US pulled out of it after Donald Trump became president. Canada and other signatories to the TPP are weighing their next move.

“We are going to play a constructive role because we see that [Pacific Ocean region] as a very, very important region,” said Mr Champagne. “Some of the fastest-growing economies of the world are in that region and Canada as a Pacific nation needs to be part of the initiatives that countries will decide to take part in, in that part of the world.”

Mr Champagne is also hopeful that Mr Trump will stick to the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, which he has said he would like to alter. The US is Canada’s biggest trade partner, with C$2.4bn worth of daily bilateral trade.

“We are open to sit down and listen but the comments of president Trump for me were an acknowledgement that we start from a very very strong base,” said Mr Champagne.

Source: www.thenational.ae

CBC staff and Mr. Hans Fraikin, Board member, met with a Canadian delegation, led by Patti-Sue Lee, Director, International Business Development and Canada Business, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Prince Edward Island | Government of Canada

The goal of the meeting was to facilitate on behalf of the Government of Prince Edward Island, an incoming trade mission to Dubai (Sunday 26^th February to Wednesday 1^st March) and then on to Abu Dhabi (Thursday 2^nd March only), mostly consisting of companies visiting Gulfood in Dubai, the world’s largest annual food and hospitality event serving one of the fastest growing sectors on the planet.

The delegation reached out to CBC to see if there could be any interest to meet the visiting Government officer from PEI to learn more about upcoming initiatives to boost bilateral trade.  The meeting was also planned to ensure that CBC members be alerted to PEI mission delegates, and to explore any path that could be of interest for both parties. Ms. Patti-Sue was accompanied by Mr. Tony Aggarwal, Director at Kinetic Cube and the meeting facilitator, by Ms Jane Preston, consultant Middle East, Kinetic Cube and the following Canadian companies’ representatives: Lobster4 dinner, Atlantic East Seafood and PEI juice.

Prince Edward Island is one of Canada’s three Maritime Provinces and is the smallest province in both land area and population’s (145,000 inhabitants). The economy of most rural communities on the island is based on small scale agriculture. Industrial farming has increased as businesses buy and consolidate older farm properties.

Ms. Lee spoke about the initiative of the Federal Government to support Atlantic Canada including PEI, where she has relocated. The mission of the Agency is to assist small business owners in exporting their products, by organizing trade delegations to the Gulf and other parts of the world.

Mr. Hans Fraikin, CBC Board member, was present at the meeting and engaged the participants, asking them about their respective companies and products and about their expectations to penetrate the Abu Dhabi food market. All of them were able to arrange side meetings at the Gulfood and thought that there were real business opportunities to explore in Abu Dhabi, for the lobster company representative as well as the berry company. Ms. Preston spoke about an innovative and first of its kind approach by a Canadian seafood company to sell de-shelled frozen lobsters in plastic wrap, ready for cooking (7 minutes). CBC put her in touch with Etihad Airways, as she expressed her interest in introducing the product to Airline companies.

Ms. Lee inquired about opportunities of collaboration with the CBC. She wanted to explore the possibility of holding a networking events in Abu Dhabi on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The Ontario Ministry Luncheon was cited as an example of a successful networking event that was organized by the CBC. Ms. Lee expressed her interest to stay in touch with the CBC as a partner and a valued contact in the UAE.

Canadian Consul General Emmanuel Kamarianakis addresses the Canadian community during 150th Anniversary celebration held at the Emirates Towers in Dubai. Image Credit: A.K Kallouche/Gulf News

The UAE is home to around 40,000 Canadian expats

Dubai: The Canadian community in the UAE is celebrating their homeland’s 150th anniversary with a raft of events spread across the year.

Over this coming year, expats from the world’s second largest country can expect a marathon, concerts, and an art exhibition, and the sale of Canadian products on supermarket shelves.

On Wednesday evening at a Dubai hotel, a large number of Canadians and other residents kicked off the year’s celebrations.

The evening was sponsored by the Canada Club, an informal expat association, and the Canadian Consulate General in Dubai.

The UAE is home to around 40,000 Canadian expats. Around 25,000 live in Dubai, while roughly 15,000 live in Abu Dhabi.

“This anniversary year is “special” for Canada,” the country’s ambassador to the UAE told Gulf News.

“Across Canada there will be special events and celebrations throughout the year to mark this milestone,” said Masud Husain.

“For our friends in the UAE, this is a perfect time to plan a vacation to Canada, especially as admission to our many national parks will be free.”

Consul-General Emmanuel Kamarianakis said, “With over 40,000 Canadians and a lot of friends of Canada living here in the UAE, we have many people keen to celebrate this important year for Canada.”

Yes we Canada

Some of the Canadian expats said that they came to Dubai when booming business beckoned. Others spoke of a need to move nearer to their cultural backgrounds.

“I absolutely miss Canada,” said Sachin Mahajan, who heads the regional branch of a Canadian investment bank. “That’s home now.”

In 2015, the Indian-born banker, who holds Canadian citizenship, moved his wife and two daughters to Dubai.

“I asked somebody in India, ‘what is the best place to live in India?’ and they said Dubai,” Mahajan recalled. “So I think [Dubai is] close enough.”

For another Canadian expat, taking her 15-year-old son to ice hockey practice — one of Canada’s national sports — twice a week has boosted friendships with other Canadians.

“I met all of my friends through hockey,” said Shelley Rizq. Her Lebanese-born husband works for a branch of a Canadian aviation firm in Dubai.

However, ice hockey and friendships sometimes fail to fill the void of homesickness.

“I miss the seasons, I miss my family, I miss the Canadian way of life. Just the people in general I miss,” she said.

 

POP-UP BOX ONE: How Canada became a nation

For centuries, Canada, a land of vast forests, lakes and mountains, had been home to the few aboriginal tribes who could survive its fierce arctic winters.

Then, from the 1500s, the area fell under the interests of the French and then the British. In the mid-1700s, France let control of its settlements in Canada go to Britain.

Then, in 1867, 150 years ago, three territories north of the United States joined together, forming a mostly self-governing dominion under the British fold.

Six decades later, in 1931, Canada became fully independent. Yet the country still shares symbolic and constitutions ties with the UK — and the same monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II.

Canadians celebrate July 1 as a national holiday, the date which marks the signing of a treaty which, back in 1867, formed what would one day become an independent nation.

 

POP-UP BOX TWO:

Here’s a look at what’s on in the UAE to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary year:

* On February 17 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and February 24 in Ras Al Khaimah, the Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research will take place.

Around 10,000 people are expected to take part in the run, in honour of the late Canadian athlete and activist who ran a six-month marathon across his country in 1980. The gruelling, six-month trek was cut short when cancer took his life.

* From February 22 until March 6, Canadians can rejoice — Choitram supermarkets will carry Canadian food and beverages on their shelves.

* On March 9, Canadian singer Bryan Adams will perform before a crowd of 12,000 people at the Autism Rocks Arena in Dubai, alongside a festival of Canadian culture.

* On May 6, Canadian superstar Justin Bieber will rock an expected crowd of 32,000 at the same venue.

* In October, a display of Canadian arts — including pieces from aboriginal artists — and culture will take place at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, in partnership with the Canadian Consulate General.

Source: https://gulfnews.com

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to promote a former army commander as he shuffles senior officials to help handle ties with the Trump administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Chief whip Andrew Leslie, who helps oversee members of the ruling Liberal Party in the House of Commons, will be made a member of the special cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous because the news had not yet been made official.

Canada sends 75 percent of its exports to the United States and could be badly hurt if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on promises to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement or impose an import tax.

Leslie, who has the rank of lieutenant general, headed the Canadian army from 2006 to 2010. One reason for giving him a more prominent role is his connections to the U.S. military, the person said.

The Globe and Mail, which first reported the story, said Leslie knew Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn, a former army lieutenant-general, and retired Marine General James Mattis, the nominee for U.S. secretary of defense.

Trudeau last week announced that Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland would be his new foreign minister, with additional responsibility for NAFTA and ties with the United States. Freeland, a former business reporter with years of U.S. experience, has good connections in Washington.

Canadian diplomats and Trudeau aides have been trying to persuade the incoming Trump team that both nations would suffer from major changes to the trading relationship, given the deep ties between the two economies. 

US Department of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff announces agreement with Canada and Mexico in Ottawa in 2005. Jim Young/Reuters

"There are millions of Canadian jobs that depend on the U.S. market, but there are also millions of American jobs that depend on smooth integration and flow back and forth across the border of goods and services," said Trudeau. 

 "We are very confident ... we are going to be able to find common ground to ensure that both of our economies prosper in the coming years," he told a televised news conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

As part of the planned shuffle of officials, Trudeau will name Deputy Chief of Staff Jeremy Broadhurst - one of his closest aides - to be Freeland's new chief of staff, said the person with knowledge of the matter.

Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No one in Leslie's office was available for comment.

Before running for election in the Canadian parliament, Freeland worked for Reuters, a unit of Thomson Reuters. 

Source: www.businessinsider.com

Bilateral trade figures have skyrocketed since 2005. Canadian Consul General explains why he wants to see it grow more

 Dubai: Bilateral trade between the UAE and Canada has surged over the last decade, but Canadian Consul General Emmanuel Kamarianakis is keen to encourage more.

Trade between the two countries grew from $564 million (Dh2.06 billion) in 2005 to $2.6 billion in 2014, according to UAE figures, a rise of 361 per cent, but Kamarianakis sees further opportunities for Canada in transshipment, services and agricultural products.

“I think people back home in Canada are realising the huge amount of opportunity that’s coming out of a place like Dubai, the UAE,” he said in an interview in his Dubai office. “We’re realising that there’s a lot of Canadian companies that are based here, using this as a foundation. We don’t have a lot of cities in the world that have this many expatriate Canadians and as many Canadian companies — it’s a significant presence.”

That presence comprises around 45,000 expats and more than 150 companies doing business in the UAE (a conservative estimate, Kamarianakis said). But he wants to see more trade, more investment.

“We have gone through, as governments do sometimes, this exercise to identify and allocate key priorities, and we identified the UAE as one of our key priority markets,” Kamarianakis said. “Saudi Arabia is also very important to us, as are other markets in North Africa, but the UAE was allocated priority status for us.”

Positive

Explaining the attraction, he said, “If you look at what’s happening in this region, this is an economic bright spot. I mean, there’s so much economic activity and also a very positive, diverse, tolerant, open and transparent climate that it makes it a natural staging point both to do business here and to do business in the region.

“So we recommend, when we speak to our companies back home and when we speak to our government, that the UAE be given a particular profile, a particular priority, because very much within this region it’s the natural hub for doing business.”

But aside from a few notable names — Tim Horton’s, BlackBerry, Beaver Tails and the like — Canadian firms are not especially well known to the UAE public.

“I think what happens sometimes is that we don’t really have the profile, because a lot of our companies may not be as well known,” Kamarianakis said. “A lot of our businesses are B2B {business to business] sometimes. Our brands aren’t necessarily out there, but there is a lot happening, there’s a lot of bilateral trade, a lot of bilateral investment.”

Container ports

He cited the development of the $1 billion ICD Brookfield Place tower in Dubai International Finance Centre, a joint venture between Canada’s Brookfield Properties and the Investment Corporation of Dubai, as an example of Canadian investment in the UAE, and a string of UAE investments in Canada, including three container ports operated by DP World, UAE investment in Alberta petrochemical firm Nova Chemicals.

“Both sides are seeing real votes of confidence in investment,” he said.

The UAE’s growing role as a regional trade hub drew many Canadian companies aiming to do business outside the UAE, or ship goods through it, “A lot of our trade comes through here, and will sometimes end up in another final destination,” he said, noting that this made it difficult to arrive at a firm figure for bilateral trade.

While Canada is known for its massive prairie wheat farms, Canadian Trade Commissioner and Regional Agricultural Counsellor Andrew Maharaj said the largest share of the country’s agricultural exports to the UAE were canola seed and pulses such as lentils.

Canola seed accounts for about half of Canada’s $400 million worth of agricultural exports to the UAE, with pulses another $100 million, much shipped on to Pakistan, South East Asia and as far as China.

“However, we are also a major producer and exporter of high-quality finished products, value-added products,” he said. “I think there’s potential here — and when I say here I mean not just the UAE but the Gulf — for meat, beef in particular, and we have a very clean natural environment, so our lobster, our crab, our salmon are very appreciated all over the world.”

Innovation

Canada’s industrial sector, with large capacity in aviation and auto parts manufacturing, aligned with UAE needs, and the two countries had synergy in their emphasis on innovation, Kamarianakis said.

“We have really made a focus on the concept of innovation as a key driver of economic growth, as a key driver of productivity,” he said. “And so we are looking at collaborating with the UAE. As an example — I think it’s a great government-to-government collaboration — we had three visits this summer in Canada with an innovation focus from the UAE government. We had a delegation from Abu Dhabi and two from the Dubai system.”

He also points out the presence of Canadian business councils in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the opening of both a UAE-Canadian Business Council and a UAE consulate general in Toronto as evidence of the importance both countries place on increased trade and investment.

“Things are snowballing,” he said. The corners of his mouth twitched. “That’s a Canadian phrase.”

Source: www.gulfnews.com

TORONTO, 29th October, 2016 (WAM)-- UAE Consul-General in Toronto Sultan Ali Al Harbi and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation at the provincial government of Ontario to discuss the unique bilateral relations between the UAE and Canada, and Ontario province in particular.

Canada's experience in dealing with indigenous people and reconciliation endorsed by the federal government were covered by the meeting which took place at the provincial ministry The UAE's experience in tolerance and coexistence among faiths and peoples, which enhanced its international stature as one of the most tolerant in the world, was also discussed.

Source: www.wam.ae

Masud Husain, the Canadian ambassador to the UAE, says the two countries have shared values. Delores Johnson / The National 

Masud Husain, a lawyer who studied in Quebec and at Montreal’s McGill University, assumed his first position as an ambassador a couple of months ago before presenting his credentials on Sunday last week.

ABU DHABI // Born in Ottawa to Indian and German parents, married to a Moroccan woman with children born in Jordan, the new Canadian ambassador to the UAE is the perfect representation of his country’s multicultural embrace.

Masud Husain, a lawyer who studied in Quebec and at Montreal’s McGill University, assumed his first position as an ambassador a couple of months ago before presenting his credentials on Sunday last week.

With previous postings in New York, Jordan, Syria, the United Nations and the Netherlands, Mr Husain hopes to work closely with the UAE on issues of security and education.

“One of the key concerns for us in the region is going to be security,” he said. “There are conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, so we are looking to work closely with our partners and the UAE is an extremely important partner for us on the security side. Security and stability in the region is important for all of us and it impacts all of us.”

The UAE recently announced it would take in 15,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, as have countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, and Canada was no exception.

“We have shared values in terms of diversity,” Mr Husain said. “The message of tolerance that the UAE is sending is an extremely important one for Canada. Finding a way to live peacefully in the region is going to be extremely important; we are going to need voices and models of peaceful coexistence and I think the UAE is a great model for that.”

With up to 45,000 Canadians living in the Emirates — Canada’s largest community in the Middle East — the ambassador is hoping to increase the number of Emiratis studying in the country from only a few hundred. “We should be having far more than that,” he said. “Canada is a great place to go to university and it’s going to be those connections that will make our relationship grow. It’s a very secure and welcoming place for people from this region.”

Between 15 to 17 Canadian universities will tour UAE schools in a couple of weeks as part of an education fair. “People tend to look to the US and the UK but we want to change that a bit and get people to think about Canada,” Mr Husain said.

He also praised the UAE’s openness and tolerance. “It’s a country that is so open to different people and wants to get expertise and experience from the best in the world,” he said. “That struck me. There’s also an incredible desire to innovate here; they are willing to take risks, invest and think forward into the future.”

A number of political trips are planned between both countries, with Canada’s foreign minister expected to visit the UAE within the next six months.

Relations between the countries have rebounded after disagreements a few years ago over landing rights for flights to Canada.

“The UAE is Canada’s largest trade partner in the region today and it continues to grow,” said Sabahat Khan, senior analyst at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. “The UAE can serve as a critical launch-pad and operating base for Canadian businesses as they expand into new markets in the Middle East and Asia.”

Political analysts say Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has been promoting a more tolerant country and one that is less “pro-Israel” than it was two years ago.

“All this opens up new opportunities for cooperation between the UAE and Canada,” said Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, chairman of the Arab Council for Social Sciences. “This is the time to increase the level of cooperation on all [fronts], whether security, defence, cultural or economy.”

He called Canada a vital partner for the UAE, with a lot of interest in the Gulf. “We expect it to be more involved in Gulf issues,” he added. “This also comes out of the [UAE’s] need to diversify our security portfolio, no matter how small or big the contribution is, it is needed now more than any other time.”

cmalek@thenational.ae

Source: www.thenational.ae

Photo Caption, from left to right: Mr. Hugo Blomfield, Canadian player Captain of the Scorpions team and Development Manager at Miral Asset Management; Mr. Ali Kaddas Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Hockey League; Mr. Khaled Al Qubaisi, Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Federation; H. E. Mr. Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE; Mr. Norm Labbe, General Manager of the Scorpions team; Juma Al Dhaheri, UAE player and Captain of the Storms team.

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H. E. Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), opened an Ice Hockey Game between Storms and Scorpions, which featured some of the UAE’s top ice hockey players and Canadians living in the UAE.

The exciting game was filled with action and several scoring chances, with Canadian defenseman Paul Kelly Ryan, Senior Specialist at Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), earning player of the game honors. The hard fought game ended with a Scorpions win over the Storms, 6-3, on October 19th at Zayed Sports City Ice Rink.

The Abu Dhabi Scorpions schedule, game updates and photos are found at their Facebook page “Scorpions Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Team” (ScorpionsADhockeyteam).

Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with the Canadian ambassador, Masud Husain, at Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi yesterday morning. The ambassadors of Germany, Austria, Poland, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey and Portugal also presented their credentials. Image Credit: WAM

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday (Sunday) received the credentials of new ambassadors of several countries to the UAE, at Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi this morning.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, were present at the meeting.

Shaikh Mohammad welcomed the new ambassadors, wishing them success in boosting cooperation and friendship between the UAE and their respective countries.

Shaikh Mohammad received the credentials of the ambassadors of Germany, Austria, Canada, Poland, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey and Portugal.

“The UAE is your second home, and you and your families will live among a diverse Muslim community that believes in values of tolerance, justice and equality between different members of society without any discrimination. Everyone in the UAE shares a noble and humanitarian cultural and social bond,” added Shaikh Mohammad.

Shaikh Mohammad then held discussions with the ambassadors on ways to bolster relations with their respective countries. He stressed that the doors of the UAE leadership, government and concerned bodies are always open if they ever feel the need to exchange views and hold discussions regarding topics that can expand avenues of cooperation between the UAE and their nations.

The ambassadors extended to Shaikh Mohammad the greetings of their countries’ leaders to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and their wishes for more progress and happiness for the people of the UAE. Also present were Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and other shaikhs and ministers.

Source: www.gulfnews.com