Mission à New York - Une deuxième offensive cette semaine pour défendre les intérêts des québécoises et des québécois
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Government announcement
30 June 2018

A second offensive this week to defend the interests of Quebecers

Mission à New York - Une deuxième offensive cette semaine pour défendre les intérêts des québécoises et des québécois

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Mission to New York

NEW YORK, June 30, 2018 –  Philippe Couillard, Premier of Québec, finishes his three-day mission to New York today.

He participated in the following activities:

  • A Foreign Policy Association (FPA) ceremony to award the Premier the prestigious Statesman Award, which recognizes his leadership on the international scene;
  • Meetings with the leaders of around twenty Québec bio-food companies that export their products to the United States;
  • Visiting the kiosks of the 2018 Summer Fancy Food Show, which over 30 Québec companies participate in;
  • Interviews with Bloomberg News, Bloomberg TV and WABC New York radio.

Additionally, a meeting will be held with economic, trade union and municipal partners in Québec on July 3, presided over by the Premier. This meeting’s main theme will be trade with the United States. In Washington on Tuesday, during the Premier’s fourth mission to meet with the American administration’s decision-makers and congressional leaders, he announced that the Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Strategy, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity are currently working on putting a plan in place to help increase Québec’s economic productivity in the current context of uncertainty.

Quote:

Our government has committed to taking quick action to support the workers, entrepreneurs, farmers and families affected by the decisions of the Trump administration. Last week, I announced that we would broaden our network of influence in the United States in order to better defend free trade. We keep our word. This week, I went to Washington and New York in order to alert our partners to the economic impact of American decisions on both sides of the border. Our team has the skill and experience to face the current uncertainty. We have proved our credibility with concrete results: Québec’s current economic and financial situation speaks for itself. We have proven ourselves to be flexible, open and innovative. This will allow us to adapt to any situation.

– Philippe Couillard, Premier of Québec

Key points:

  • Québec’s bio-food exports reached almost $6 billion in 2016, 69% of this sector’s international exports.
  • The bio-food industry is a pillar of Québec’s economy and a lever for regional economic development.
  • No less than 30% of Québec exports to the United States have been subject to investigation by the United States Department of Commerce, most of which led to the imposition of countervailing duties on our exports.

2018 Summer Fancy Food Show:

  • The Summer Fancy Food Show will be held from June 30 to July 2, 2018, at New York’s Javits Convention Center.
  • This show is the most important gathering of food industry players on the American East Coast. It brought together 2,676 exhibitors and over 16,000 visitors in 2017.
  • National sales of specialty products reached over $127 billion US in 2017, making the United States the biggest market in the world in that category.

Foreign Policy Association:

  • Founded in 1918, this New-York-based non-profit organization’s mission is to lead the American population to a better understanding of international issues by way of training programs, workshops and conferences.

Facts about the Québec–United-States relationship:

  • In 2017, trade between Québec and the United States rose to almost $92 billion ($71 billion US).
  • The United States is Québec’s biggest trade partner.
  • Québec is the United States’ eighth biggest trade partner.
  • The value of Québec’s exports to the United States in 2017 was over $60 billion. Almost 71% of Québec’s exports are sent to the United States.
  • More than 12,000 Québec companies do business in the United States, and over 9 million American jobs depend on Canadian trade and investment (including Québec).
  • Over 1,000 American companies have a branch in Québec.