Friday, February 29, 2007

Ambassador Guillermo E. Rishchynski
Ambassador of Canada to Mexico
Formerly Ambassador to Brazil and Colombia

Canada 's economic and social relationship with Mexico continues to grow. During president Felipe Calderon’s visit to Canada this past August, the two countries developed a Joint Action Plan for 2007-2008. Ambassador Rishchynski, the dean of the Canadian diplomatic corps in the Americas, will discuss the critical issues involved in the relationship as President Calderon begins his second year in office.

Date: Friday March 7th, 2008
Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Albany Club
91 King Street East
Toronto, ON M5C 1G3

Mr. Calin Ratis
International Trade Officer
Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce
T:416-595-5333 ext. 42
E: cratis@iecanada.com

International Mining Cafe

Odette Corbu, Trade Commissioner
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Ontario Region

You are cordially invited to the International Mining Café
At the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada International Convention – PDAC 2008

Date: Wednesday March 5, 2008
Time: 08:00a.m. - 16:30p.m.
Location: Hotel Intercontinental Toronto Centre, 225 Front Street West, Ball Rooms A & B

Organized by The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), this unique event will provide an opportunity to meet with DFAIT’s Trade Commissioners from around the world and other experts from government and the private sector. Businesses will be able to meet in one place at one time with the individuals who can assist them to access and expand their global mining reach.

This is a FREE event and you DO NOT have to be registered with PDAC 2008 to attend.

We have been contracted to coordinate all registrations for this event and to schedule individual meetings for you on the day. Should you require any additional information or clarification, please contact:

The Ministry of Economy, the Minister of Mines and the Trade Commissions of Mexico in Toronto and Vancouver, kindly invite you to a cocktail presentation to be held at the:

Date: March 4^th, 2008
Location: Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Regatta Room, One Harbour Square, Toronto, ON 5J 1A6
Time: 6:00pm to 8:00 pm

During the reception Mr. Eduardo Sojo, Minister of Economy will deliver a message on the prospects of the Mexican Economy and Mr. Norberto Roque, Minister of Mines, will present:

The reception is a good opportunity to gather information on the business environment in

Mexico

and the gamut of high potential mining projects waiting to be developed.

You are kindly requested to RSVP to Noris Pico plctor02@bancomext.gob.mx
phone ( 416) 867-9292 Ext. 28, fax (416) 867-1847

The FIA 2008 arises as the follow-up to the Americas Competitiveness Forum - ACF) that was held from June 11 to 12, 2007 in Atlanta, USA. The Forum, hosted by the US Commerce Department, convened over 600 top-level representatives of the public and private sectors from 20 nations in the Americas.
The event seeks to boost innovation as a tool for development and growth in the region, summoning well-known experts to our country, and offering attendees a chance to come together with leaders from the business sector, academia and government to explore issues related to Innovation in the Americas.

Fernando Lopez-Fabregat
Consul General
Consulate General of Uruguay
300 Sheppard Av. W Suite 302
Toronto ON M2N 1N5
Tel. 416-7301289
Fax. 416-7300192
E-mail: conurutor@on.aibn.com

On behalf of the Colombian Government, I would like to take this opportunity to formally invite you to participate in an exclusive Agrobusiness Matchmaking Forum to be held in Cartagena on April 2^nd and 3th. The focus of AgroBizmatch 2008 is the Food industry covering both fresh and processed products. This is an initiative of the Colombian Government to provide a win-win situation for buyers from Canada, USA, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy to find sourcing alternatives from our exporters. During these two days, pre-arranged meetings will take place with agendas prepared in advance with the help of our consultants and with the buyer’s approval. Each Business Matchmaking meeting allows international buyers to meet face-to-face with a group of carefully selected Colombian sources. Here are more reasons why you should not miss this event:

· This is not merely an opportunity to trade business cards, as it is the case with traditional trade shows.

· This forum in Cartagena is a unique occasion for Canadian Buyers looking to expand and grow your businesses by increasing your international sources with high quality products from more than 600 qualified exporters.

· A team of specialized professionals will be available to help you prepare your personal agenda for this business days.

AgroBizmatch 2008 will certainly increase business opportunities for you company. Please log-in to our website at www.agrobizmatch2008.com to register now. Space is limited to 20 Canadian Companies. Once your company is approved, you will receive written confirmation and one roundtrip airfare to Cartagena per company will be granted. For additional information, agendas and travel arrangements feel free to contact Rafael Vargas at 416 363-9225 rvargas@proexport.ca or Miss. Claudia Rico at crico@proexport.ca

6th Latin American Leadership Forum - 'Building the Global Network for Sustained Competitiveness & Opportunity'

Save the date! April 1-3, 2008 in Miami, Florida (just prior to the Annual Meetings of the Inter-American Development Bank).

Strategic Projects - The 6° Annual Leadership Forum hosts the Top 50 strategic infrastructure projects in Latin America, across 10 sectors - electricity generation, water/wastewater, ports & logistics, mining, urban mass transit, tourism, highways, oil & gas, 'new' infrastructure and strategic projects (those that most transform the region's competitiveness). The theme - "Building the Global Network for Sustained Competitiveness & Opportunity" - focuses on bringing global resources - and a vision of where the world is going - to the design and financing of the next generation of projects. 50 Project Presentations, each of 10-12 minutes, over two days!

CEO Forum - A new and innovative feature of the 6° Leadership Forum is the participation of 10 key infrastructure decision-makers from around the globe, including 5 CEO's and an equal number of heads of state. Presentations will be both live and interactive, and pre-taped, focusing on why Latin America needs to quadruple its investment in infrastructure, how that is going to happen, and who is going to benefit - over 30 years!

Private Meetings - Private Meetings will go live on January 31, 2008. Each registrant in the Forum has the right to schedule up to 15 private meetings, each of 15 minutes in length, with project presenters, sponsors, and participating CEO's. This evolving model has proven highly successful. As one participant in our recent Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum said "this works great, I make my numbers every year at your meetings - and since you started our revenues have grown 20 times!"

"Deep Dives" - Increasingly the Leadership Forum provides context for private sector participants, and a strong feedback loop for the public sector, through workshops, roundtables and breakfasts, all organized by sponsors and focused on specific topics. Last year's successful workshops included a World Economic Forum event on infrastructure financing; for this year the 'deep dives' will focus on Brazil, South American and IIRSA, "What is Really Going on in the Region's Infrastructure - Winning and Losing Sectors, Countries and Regions," and "Making the DR/Cafta Competitive."

World Class Sponsors - Key sponsors for the 6° Annual Latin American Leadership Forum include the following: Platinum - Banco Centro-Americano de Integración Regional, CEI-RD Gold -- Banco do Brasil, CitiBank, Export Development Canada; MIGA - World Bank Group, and Panalpina.

CG/LA Infrastructure LLC
1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW
Suite 707
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 776-0990
Fax: (202) 776-0994
Email: nfa@cg-la.com

Av. Paulista, 2, 202 Cj 61
Sao Paulo, S.P. 01310 300, Brazil
Tel: 55 11 3285-2055
Fax: 55 11 3285-2967

The International Economic Forum of the Americas - The Great Transition: Mastering Change

The International Economic Forum of the Americas/Conference of Montréal has as its principal mission the promotion of wide-ranging and completely open discussion of the major international economic issues. It also aims at facilitating the creation of contacts between representatives of businesses, governments and international agencies as well as members of the academic world and civic society, thereby encouraging international exchanges.

Minister Emerson met with Mercedes Aráoz Fernandez, Peruvian Minister of International Trade and Tourism, on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to mark the conclusion of free trade negotiations with Peru which began in July, 2007.

"Peru has emerged as one of the most dynamic economies in the Americas, supported by an aggressive commerce agenda and clear stance in favour of trade liberalization," said Minister Emerson. "This FTA with Peru will further solidify our trade and investment relationship and open up opportunities for Canadian business in a range of sectors, including agriculture, natural resources and services."

Peru will provide greater market access for a range of Canadian agricultural products, as well as paper products and machinery and equipment. Agreement has also been reached with respect to cross-border trade in services in sectors of interest to Canada including mining, energy and professional services.

Through this FTA, greater stability, transparency and protection for Canadian investments in Peru has been achieved, building on the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement signed by the two countries in 2006.

"Peru is a growing destination for Canadian investment," added Minister Emerson. "This FTA will create a more receptive environment for Canadian investors while increasing the prosperity of Peruvians."

Provisions with respect to environmental protection, biodiversity and corporate social responsibility are included in an environment agreement. For the first time in Canadian FTA negotiations, agreement has also been reached on the establishment of a Trade Related Cooperation Committee to oversee trade-related capacity building activities associated with the FTA.

A Labour Cooperation Agreement, which includes enforcement obligations and associated penalties, has also been negotiated.

"I have seen first-hand, how Peru is committed to improving labour conditions in their country," said Minister Blackburn. "This is the most comprehensive labour cooperation agreement ever negotiated by Canada."

In 2006, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Peru totalled CDN$2.4 billion. Canada is also one of Peru's most important sources of foreign direct investment in the mining sector, and among the largest overall foreign investors with an estimated CDN$2.9 billion of investment stock as of 2006. In 2004, Canadian commercial services exports to Peru totalled approximately CDN$46 million.

Comprehensive consultations were undertaken with Canadians which indicated broad support for an FTA with Peru. In order for this treaty to be implemented, a full legal review of the texts will be required before signature and before proceeding with legislative processes in each country.

The conclusion of this FTA with Peru builds on Prime Minister Harper's commitment to reviving and expanding Canadian political and economic engagement in the Americas, which is a major foreign policy goal of the Government of Canada.

This Agreement with Peru also builds on the success of Canada's existing FTAs with the U.S. and Mexico (NAFTA), with Chile, with Israel and with Costa Rica. Together, these countries represent a market of 459 million consumers, with a combined GDP of CDN$16.4 trillion. Two-way trade with these countries totalled CDN$604 billion in 2006, which represents 72% of Canada's foreign trade.

Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., the world’s third-largest "plans to add 300 workers in Mexico this year to increase parts production, said the head of the aerospace unit [Pierre Beaudoin]," according to Bloomberg.

This will bring the total number of employees in Mexico to 1200, with plans to have 200 by the end of 2010, according to Beaudoin.

About a year ago, Bombardier began producing fuselage and other parts in Mexico to benefit from cheaper labour costs and proximity to the U.S. Shipping fuselage to Canada from Mexico takes five days as opposed to 46 days from China.

Prensa Latina reports, " US private companies are seeking to control Mexican strategic sectors and would invest millions with that objective."

US private businesses are willing to contribute 130 billion dollars ( US) toward that goal, according to US Trade Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

Gutierrez visited Mexico with a group of businesspeople. Over 30 projects, to be financed by US private capital, were discussed in a forum with Mexican secretaries of various sectors.

IDB to Finance Study Targeting Improved Ground Transportation Between Chile and Argentina
(IDB News)

Summary of original article:

An 880,000-dollar (US) donation is to be made by Inter-American Development Bank to finance a study surrounding the condition of international border transportation between Argentina and Chile.

The main focus will be on ground transportation for the Initiative for the Regional Integration of Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) framework, and establishing a strategy for creating a better investment program to be carried out in the coming years.

According to IDB, "The study will be based on the conclusions obtained from IIRSA’s sectoral facilitation process for border crossings, which focuses on turning borders into true channels of integration. It will also include the results of IIRSA’s ’Pilot Border Crossings,’ a regional diagnostic of four of South America’s main border crossings that was completed in 2005 and 2006."

For the full story, click here: http://www.iadb.org/NEWS/articledetail.cfm?Language=En&parid=2&artType=PR&artid=4442

Hydroelectric El Cimarrón Project in Nor-oeste, El Salvador (valued at 632 million dollars, US

(Global Infrastructure and Competitiveness Leadership)

Stage: Public Bidding
Type: Public Concession
This hydro is located in the Alto Lempa River, where it meets the Deasagüe River, 20 km South of Citalá, El Salvador. The feasibility studies for this plant have determined that the installed capacity will be 261 MW, and a guaranteed energy value of 423 GWh. The plant will help alleviate the constraints on the Salvadorian electric grid and it will also provide capacity for the SIEPAC system in Central America. The bidding process for the construction of this plant will begin in early 2008.

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Disclaimer – CCA Update is provided as an information service to our members and key contacts. It is designed to provide the most up-to-date trade information from a variety of sources. The information we feature does not necessarily reflect the Council’s opinion on a given international trade issue. Although we endeavour to disclose accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. The Canadian Council for the Americas cannot assume any responsibility for actions taken solely or principally on the basis of information provided.