Remarks by President Mary McAleese At the Ireland-Canada Business Association on Friday
Remarks by President Mary McAleese At the Ireland-Canada Business Association on Friday, 20th November, 1998
It is a great pleasure for me to be here tonight to address the members of the Ireland Canada Business Association, and so soon after my visit to Canada last month during which, I have to say, I was deeply impressed by its beauty, with its dazzling Autumn colours, and more importantly by the warm welcome I received from the many Canadian people I encountered.
There are many close links between Ireland and Canada that go beyond trade and business. Irish emigrants have been travelling and settling in Canada for over three hundred years – with, for example, the census of 1663 recording an Irishman living in Montreal not long after that city was founded. Canada is now home to many millions of people of Irish descent. No matter how or why those Irish came to Canada, almost all succeeded in making a place for themselves and in making a distinctive and mainly positive contribution to their adopted home. The emigration pattern in my own family took some to the United States, but most of my family to the Canadian Maritimes – where I’m happy to say they settled ecumenically and sensibly on each side of the political divide. Clearly they put their negative experience of Irish politics to good use!
Ireland and Canada do not merely share historical links - we are bound by our common views on many of today’s global issues – such as the a global ban on landmines which was proposed by Canada, and on which Ireland worked with Canada throughout a process that culminated last December with the signing of the Ottawa Treaty. Indeed, as we approach the anniversary of that signing, it is heartening to see that the number of ratifications required for the Treaty to become part of international law has already been achieved. Ireland and Canada have also had a longstanding commitment to peacekeeping - and both countries can be proud of their peacekeepers who have served with distinction in the many troubled regions of the world, whether in Lebanon, Cyprus, Bosnia or Haiti.
The economic and business links between Ireland and Canada reflect the strength of the social and cultural links. The Canadian economy is one of the wealthiest in the world with an equally impressive quality of life. The Irish economy started from a much lower base in the post-war period but the last ten years have seen it blossom into a thriving success - with the economy growing by 60% in real terms, and unemployment halved - facilitated in large measure by a potent social partnership between the government, trade unions, employers and others in the commercial and social sectors.
One of the byproducts of that unprecedented performance is the doubling of bilateral trade between Ireland and Canada in monetary terms since the start of the decade. Canada was Ireland’s 19th largest trading partner in 1997, and our 17th largest export market. Although the balance is in our favour, this reflects the importance of Canada as a market for Irish industry, particularly for indigenous products such as beverages, food and dairy products. Ireland is the second largest exporter of software in the world after the United States, and our exports in pharmaceutical products have soared from £100 million 25 years ago, to £2 billion in 1997. Both of these categories feature highly among our exports to Canada – and there has been a pattern of steady growth in trade between the two countries. Twenty years ago, two-way trade was valued at £64 million and by 1997 this had expanded almost sevenfold to £438 million. In the past two years, Irish-Canadian trade has increased by 24%.
The Irish economy continues to attract a high level of foreign investment - and Ireland is the third largest site for Canadian private investment overseas after the US and Britain. There are now over 25 Canadian companies in Ireland – companies such as Westinghouse Canada, Northern Telecom, Alcan which has invested in Aughinish Alumina, the Bank of Montreal, Canada Life, the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Weston Group. These investments reflect the reality that Ireland is now one of the most effective platforms for accessing the European market.
World trade is characterised by large regional blocs. Ireland is part of the European Union and Canada is part of the NAFTA. It is essential to the orderly development of the global economy that these regional groupings are outward-looking in their trade perspective – and countries such as Ireland and Canada can contribute to the process of cross-regional trade. Of course, investment is not all one way either – and since the completion of the NAFTA Agreement, a number of Irish companies have invested in Canada - including Aer Rianta, the Kerry Group, the Smurfit Group, Glen Dimplex, Europlex, Higgins Manufacturing Ltd and Cement Roadstone Holdings.
Canada is rapidly developing its information technology industry, which now comprises more than 16,000 companies. And Canada, like Ireland, recognises that the domestic market is not big enough to sustain growth and looks to exports. There are many possibilities for partnerships, marketing alliances, joint ventures and technology transfers aimed at opening new markets for Irish and Canadian goods and services in the EU and NAFTA - and I understand that Enterprise Ireland is actively pursuing this potential.
We are very fortunate that the partnerships between Ireland and Canada – because they flow across culture and across our history – they are easily built on. We are friends, we are neighbours, we are family. It is so easy to build on those relationships – we have no problem of credibility with each other. We start from a very very buoyant platform.
There is considerable evidence to support the fondness of the relationship – but none more striking than the role played by Canada in our Peace Process where they have been contributors to the International Fund for Ireland, the Ireland Fund of Canada, and through many many individual voluntary organisations. I am also very mindful of the very very important work undertaken by General John de Chastelain who, with great wisdom and skill, served as a member of the International Body, was subsequently one of the three International Chairmen of the Talks themselves and is currently Chairman of the International Commission on Decommissioning. And, of course, the two other distinguished Canadians, Judge Hoyt and Professor Shearing, who are serving on bodies established by the British Government to deal respectively with the issues of Bloody Sunday and the future policing of Northern Ireland.
By any stretch of the imagination these are three difficult areas – but the fact that they are three Canadians who are involved says something about the easiness of our relationship and the mutual trust that exists. Indeed, one of the reasons for going to Canada on that State Visit was to be able to say a profound thank you. We do not take our friends for granted.
While the Peace Process and our economic progress give us great confidence and hope, we cannot be complacent about the future. Much remains to be done to build on the sense of confidence which developments on the political front have engendered – and we hope and pray that we can reach a new plane in the complex relationships. Our economic success too was achieved through hard work and bold decisions – and co-operation with our friends in Europe and around the world - not least in Canada. The Ireland Canada Business Association has made an important contribution to the development and strengthening of the economic links between our two countries - and I believe that it will continue to do so. I congratulate you on your achievements in bringing Ireland and Canada closer together and to wish you every success in the years ahead.