Foster hopes to promote trade and tourism links in Canada

The North's Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster will visit Canada next week to promote trade and tourism links and meet investors.

The minister will hold two days of meetings in Toronto and Montreal.

“Canada is an important trading partner for Northern Ireland, both as a market for locally produced goods and services, and as a source of inward investment,” she said.

She added there are 70 Northern Ireland companies exporting to Canada and £375m (€437.5m) of manufacturing exports but added there was scope for further progress.

“I therefore intend to meet with key business influencers and companies to promote the Northern Ireland business proposition,” she added.

Cookstown-based FSL Electronics, have won their first contracts as a direct result of participation on Invest NI trade missions to the region.

The company used Invest NI’s most recent trade mission in March, to finalise a deal to provide one of its electronic scoreboards to the prestigious Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

The minister believes the visit is vital to demonstrate her and the Executive’s commitment to those major investors here in the North.

She said: “During my forthcoming visit, I will also be meeting senior management at both Bombardier and Nortel, two of our long established inward investors.

“At a time when both of these companies are feeling the effects of the challenging economic global conditions in different ways, it is important that I and my ministerial colleagues continue to engage with them and to reaffirm the commitment of the Executive to providing the most supportive environment possible to them.”