Speech
Speech by Tánaiste at the Ireland Canada Business Association Maple Leaf Dinner
From Department of Foreign Affairs
By: Minister for Foreign Affairs; Micheál Martin
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
By: Minister for Foreign Affairs; Micheál Martin
Published on
Last updated on
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Your Excellency Ambassador Nancy Smyth,
Chair of the Ireland Canada Business Association, Dr. Deirdre Giblin,
Ladies, Gentlemen, Friends.
Good evening to you all and thank you for the invitation to join you for this annual Irish Canada Business Association Maple Leaf Dinner.
Canadian Thanksgiving was on Monday. There is much to be thankful of in the Ireland Canada relationship.
In the spirit of thanksgiving, let me start by thanking Dr Deirdre Giblin, for her warm words of welcome and for her leadership of the Ireland Canada Business Association.
I also extend my appreciation to Immediate Past Chair of the Association, Chris Collenette, and your Executive Director, Kate Hickey, for their key leadership roles in the ICBA over the past 12 months.
Before turning to my planned remarks, I would like to briefly address a situation that is of deep concern to both our countries. It is impossible to overstate the horror of what we are witnessing at this time in Israel and Gaza. I unequivocally condemn the attack by Hamas on Israel and the systematic targeting of civilians, including young children and the elderly. I have demanded that all hostages be released immediately.
Like Canada, Ireland supports Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law. I have also stressed that it is a political and moral imperative to clearly distinguish between Hamas and Palestinian civilians living in Gaza. We must ensure the continued provision of humanitarian access. I was greatly encouraged by Foreign Minister Joly’s comments to this effect earlier this week.
The Ireland Canada Business Association of course marks 45 years since its establishment, with over that near half century growing to become one of the foremost international business organisations in Ireland.
I have been impressed by the commitment of the membership and board of the ICBA to deepening the Ireland-Canada relationship and – despite it being one of the busiest weeks of the year for Dáil business – I wanted to be here in person to thank you for that commitment and leadership.
Among those I sit with tonight is Ambassador Nancy Smyth, who is tireless in her work here in Ireland on behalf of all Canadians. Canadians should be proud to be represented in Ireland by Ambassador Smyth, who eighty-five years into our formal diplomatic relationship with Canada is making sure that Ireland-Canada relations will be in fine fettle long into the future.
And we are playing our part in that future journey too. That is why we have delivered on our commitment in Ireland’s “Strategy for the US and Canada 2019-2025” to significantly strengthen Ireland's diplomatic presence in Canada.
As you know, we opened a new Consulate General in Vancouver in 2018 and, last year, a Consulate General in Toronto. In addition to the fulltime diplomatic presence, Ireland has a number of honorary consuls in Calgary, St Johns and Halifax. I am pleased also that plans are advanced to appoint a further two honorary consuls, in the Provinces of Alberta and Quebec.
Our diplomatic presence is also complemented by the presence of Ireland’s state agencies. Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Tourism Ireland have offices in Toronto, and Enterprise Ireland is also present in Montréal.
We have come a long way since diplomatic relations were formally established in 1939 - Canada was among the first 15 countries that Ireland formally established diplomatic relations, building on the effective political relations with Canada developed in the early days of the foundation of the State through our then shared membership of the Commonwealth as well as the longstanding connections between our peoples.
It is important that we continue to invest in connections. That is why it was essential that high level political visits to Canada resumed after the pandemic. The 2023 St Patrick’s Day programme saw Minister Michael McGrath, Minister Stephen Donnelly and Minister Simon Harris visit various cities in Canada.
In July 2023, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Mr Sean Fleming TD, visited Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto for an extensive trade, community and cultural programme.
I anticipate that there will be further opportunity for high level visits to Canada in the final months of this year and into the early part of 2023. In this regard, I am keen to visit Canada at an appropriate moment and my team are looking at my travel commitments in 2024 to see if that is possible.
In the meantime, I was pleased to meet briefly with my Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, in the margins of the UN High Level Week in New York a few weeks ago.
These high-level engagements play an important role in deepening our engagement. While tonight’s gathering is the best of our bilateral business engagement, there is so much more to our relationship than trade. Ireland and Canada are bound by our history, our values and our people.
Those gathered in this room know, more than most, that Irish heritage in Canada is deeply rooted with some 4.5 million or 14% having Irish ancestry. The influence of those with Irish heritage in Canada and their affinity with Ireland is a pre-eminent factor in the nurturing of our relationship with Canada.
Over the course of Ireland’s history, Canada has provided a welcome to our people in their time of greatest need. In 1847, almost 40,000 Irish men, women and children arrived in Toronto, then a city of just 20,000, fleeing famine and starvation in their own country, in search of a brighter future in their new home.
From the desperate voyages of the past, many of our young people today seek new and exciting experiences in Canada. Young professionals seek out new careers in Canada, and perhaps in a uniquely Irish way they are bringing a piece of home with them.
This in no small part has led to an explosion of GAA activity in Canada. Isn’t it fascinating that over 4,500 kilometres separate the eastern and western most GAA clubs in Canada – from Vancouver Island in the West to Prince Edward Island in the East.
And just as Canada was there during the darkest days for the Irish emigrants in the 1840s, Canada also stood four square behind Ireland as we journeyed towards peace on this island. The Good Friday Agreement was a transformative moment for these islands, and while it was an agreement for our people, in so many ways it was curated by our friends and partners internationally.
Canada was not found wanting and, in the presence of Ambassador Smyth, I want to reiterate Ireland’s deep appreciation here this evening for Canada’s support for us on this journey.
Canada has provided consistent support to the Northern Ireland Peace Process over several decades, most notably the contributions of Judge Peter Cory and General John de Chastelain. Canada is also an active board member of the International Fund for Ireland.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, last April, it was a particular pleasure for me to welcome Canadian Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan to Dublin – accompanied by General De Chastelain. Their visit provided me the opportunity to formally acknowledge Canada’s contribution to peace on this island.
The highlight of the visit was hosting lunch for General de Chastelain in Iveagh House to mark his personal contribution to the Peace Process.
His seminal work helped forge the Good Friday Agreement, demonstrating patience, skill and consummate diplomacy, complementing his key role in decommissioning which has helped maintain peace on the island of Ireland.
Minister Seamus O’Regan also spoke very movingly that day, saying that General de Chastelain represented “the best of us” – his pride in the General’s achievements on behalf of all Canadians was clear to see.
Since last year’s Maple Leaf dinner, the government has launched the White Paper on Enterprise, which sets out our vision and policy to further develop Irelands enterprise and economic strength in the period to 2030.
This will be delivered through the new Trade and Investment Strategy to ensure that Ireland continues to build on its strengths as an open economy with strong trade and foreign direct investment, a vibrant innovation hub, and a resilient labour market.
The Strategy also reinforces Ireland’s commitment to global trade, multilateralism and the EU.
With the domestic news cycle dominated by this week’s budget, it is important to recall that the government’s good fiscal situation is derived from this commitment to global trade.
I continue to be a strong advocate for our values-based system that supports sustainable growth and delivers higher living standards and wellbeing for people on this island and across the globe.
As a small, open economy, Ireland fully supports balanced international trade and the suite of EU Free Trade Agreements that seek to underpin this.
In this challenging geo-political environment, it is increasingly important that the EU has the ability to work with our partners to quickly negotiate and conclude trade agreements that strengthen and diversify our supply chains and provides us with good and reliable access to critical materials needed for the production of the goods that we consume and export.
The Irish economy is dependent on being open to trade and on us being a strong advocate of free trade agreements and all the benefits that accrue from them.
It is also essential that we are in a position to ratify FTAs once agreed at EU level.
From my perspective, negotiating and ratifying FTAs requires continual engagement and outreach with various stakeholders to allay underlying concerns and to ensure that the FTAs agreed are balanced considering EU priorities across all sectors including, market access, the regulatory environment, and the digital and green transition.
I want to assure you all this evening that the government remains committed to the ratification of CETA.
Since the provisional entry into force of CETA, our trading relationship has gone from strength to strength. Ireland’s exports of goods to Canada have grown threefold from €1.1 billion in 2017 to €3.4 billion in 2022 and Ireland is Canada’s 12th largest investor at $15 billion.
Ireland’s trade surplus with Canada of €2.7 billion in 2022 is the third highest in the EU (behind Germany and Italy).
The total value of Ireland’s trade in goods and services with Canada is over €6 billion – a 150% increase in 10 years.
As with so much of our relationship with Canada though, this is a relationship based on people not just numbers.
Tourism is growing. Canadian tourist traffic to Ireland has increased by more than 60% in three years, with 250,000 Canadians now visiting per annum. Canada is now in the top 5 in terms of holiday revenue generated in Ireland.
Irish companies employ some 6,000 people in Canada and over 400 Enterprise Ireland supported companies are doing business in Canada.
It is also great to note that over 75 Canadian companies employ some 15,000 people in Ireland with a further 12,000 jobs also supported by this investment.
And as a proud Corkman, I am pleased that some of you here tonight have substantial business investments in my native county. Ireland – and indeed Cork – thanks you for your investment.
But we don’t want to rest on our laurels, we want to do more.
That is why I was pleased to see the ICBA publish “The Ireland Canada Economic Opportunity” Report last month highlighting the spaces for deepening the trade and investment opportunities.
Comhghairdeas libh go léir. Níl aon amhras orm ach go n-éireoidh go geal feasta leis an gcaidreamh trádála idir Éirinn agus Ceanada.
I look forward to the continued deepening of the Ireland Canada relationship in the coming 12 months and beyond.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir; thank you and enjoy the evening.