Under the leadership of our Business Ambassador to Québec, Charles Gauthier, we have been busy crafting a very special three-day visit to Québec, Canada for Southern Californa businesses and economic development organizations to learn about the export and investment opportunities in this vibrant region of over 8 million people.
Québec represents 23% of the Canadian population and boasts a GDP of over $300 billion (nearly 20% of the Canadian economy). Québec businesses are leaders in their fields and over 12,000 do business in the U.S. Québeckers themselves contribute significantly to the U.S. economy spending over $3.4 billion traveling to the U.S. each year. With nearly 70% of Québec's $80 billion in exports going to the U.S., Québec is America's 10th largest trading partner. And Canada overall is California's 2nd largest trading partner.
So given the magnitude of the relationship and the depth of innovation and skills in the Québec economy, MAPLE is creating a turnkey fact-finding mission for businesses interested in exporting to and investing in Québec. It will also be an opportunity for Québec to learn about what makes Southern California so attractive to invest in and trade more with too.
MAPLE delegations are crisp cross-sector programs equipping our delegates with the information, contacts, and first-hand experiences to have a 360-degree view of major Canadian markets. Our Québec delegation will be no different and will encompass Québec's economic and political capitals - Montréal and Québec City. Taking us there will be our travel partner, Air Canada, with special discounted fares. We have also negotiated very attractive hotel discounts too. Moreover, our delegation fee may be eligible for reimbursement through the California STEP grant program.
Our delegation will comprise private briefings with leading organizations across sectors in Montréal and Québec City as well as a MAPLE-hosted cross-border networking reception in Montréal to share the mission of MAPLE and to provide information on what is exciting and noteworthy about Southern California through a fireside chat with our economic development partners who will be part of our delegation.
Our delegation is on June 13-15, 2018 and our itinerary encompasses the following briefings with additional meetings still being scheduled:
- Aerospace - Aéro Montréal
- Artificial Intelligence - Elément AI
- Cleantech - Ecotech Québec
- Doing Business in Québec - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
- Electric Vehicles - Québec Electric & Intelligent Vehicles Cluster
- Innovation - BONE Structure, National Optics Institute, Optosecurity
- Montréal - Montréal International
- Nutraceuticals - Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
- Québec City - Québec International
- U.S. Government - Department of Commerce, U.S. Consul General Offices
This is a special opportunity to look at trade and exporting and to promote what Southern California offers to Québec business leaders. Contact MAPLE for complete details and we look forward to sharing this program with you. Space is limited and our delegation is filling up quickly.