REGINA - There is word of another Saskatchewan international trade mission happening in the wake of the Trump tariff threat.
Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding will be heading with a delegation to Vietnam and Singapore. According to the province’s news release it will focus on natural resources, agriculture, investment attracting, collaboration in higher education, and showcasing Saskatchewan’s ability to meet food and energy security needs around the world. Among the highlights will be attendance at the Canada in Asia conference where there will be discussions on agri-foods, food security and clean technology and energy transitions. There will also be portion of the mission focused on labour and immigration recruitment.
“Vietnam and Singapore are two vitally important markets for Saskatchewan as we continue to build relationships abroad," Kaeding said in a news release.
"The ASEAN region is an area where we've seen rapid growth, and we want to continue to build on that positive momentum. Strengthening international trade relationships and diversifying our export markets are more important than ever as we look to promote our sustainable food and energy security to the world."
This is just one trade mission out of several either planned or currently under way. Earlier this week it was announced Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison would lead a trade mission to India and the United Arab Emirates Feb. 11-19. The plan was to meet business groups, buyers and investors, and attend the Pulses Conclave in Delhi, India, and the Gulfood Exhibition in Dubai.
This week Premier Scott Moe was in Washington D.C. as part of the delegation of Council of the Federation premiers, meeting and lobbying U.S. officials including those at the White House. The effort has been in response to the threat of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports to the US, as well as recently announced 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum. Following that trip, Moe was scheduled to head to Mexico for meetings with import-export partners and Mexican government officials.
In speaking to reporters in Regina last week, Moe had indicated his ministers would be going to “markets of interest,” and he identified those markets as including India, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, as well as European markets such as Germany or the UK.
