Greetings from the Canadian Ambassador, Jon Allen

The Israel-Canada Chamber of Commerce is a central
element of our network for promoting bilateral trade
and investment. I both congratulate and thank the
Executive and members of the Chamber for your various initiatives in this
regard. It is an honor to be Canada’s
Ambassador to Israel and to be part of your team.
My first five months here could not have been more
interesting and active. The Canadian Government, led
by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has demonstrated by word and
deed its commitment to the existence and security of
Israel. These sentiments and a desire to
further enhance bilateral relations were recently
confirmed during the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay. Our
commercial relations are a fundamental element of our relationship. I
am impressed with the level of sophistication of our
two-way trade, investment and industrial cooperation.
I am also convinced that by building on the excellent
political will that exists today, and on the enthusiasm of our dynamic
private sectors, we can do much better.
This year, 2007,
marks the 10th
Anniversary of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement
(CIFTA). Since the agreement came
into effect in 1997, our bilateral trade has more
than doubled to a record level of CAD$1.24 billion. The
Canada-Israel Industrial Co-operation Agreement (CIIRDF) is a model
instrument for industrial collaboration and is
supported at the highest levels of our two
governments. I strongly support increased activity by our companies in
research and development, under the auspices of this
important vehicle of collaboration. I also hope to
promote new activities under the Memorandum of Understanding for
cooperation between our space industries that was signed in March
2005.
Canada’s philanthropic contribution to
Israel also is profound. Canadians have long provided strong support
for world class Israeli institutions such as Technion,
the Weizman Institute, KKL and various universities.
On the academic front, under the auspices of the Israeli
Association of Canadian Studies, we are supporting an in-depth
exchange among academics and professionals in all
fields of higher learning. Some of these activities
will lead to increased economic ties.
I also want to highlight the importance of the
direct Toronto - Tel Aviv air
link that facilitates connecting business, family and friends between our
two countries.
Each of these elements provide a solid basis for
our commercial and economic relations and I am
committed to working with you to build upon these over the coming
years.
Jon Allen
Ambassador |