The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, concluded her visit to Sydney after leading a delegation of approximately 220 Canadians from 140 organizations on the Team Canada Trade Mission to Australia.
As a key initiative under Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, this was Canada's 5th Team Canada Trade Mission travelling to its 7th Indo-Pacific market since 2023. Building on the historically strong commercial and investment relationship between Canada and Australia, the trade mission provided participating Canadian exporters and innovators with an opportunity to make connections, further existing ones, and expand their reach into Australia's diverse market. The trade mission also showcased Canada as a trusted business partner for countries in the Indo-Pacific region to invest in. It highlighted Canada's diverse range of industry leaders, access to international markets, highly skilled workforce, multicultural environment, commitment to sustainability, technological innovation, and strong cultural and economic ties rooted in shared values.
During the trade mission, Minister Ng:
- hosted a dinner for the Team Canada Trade Mission delegation and Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum (AusCan). She delivered remarks alongside Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell. The two spoke of the strong bilateral trade and investment ties between Canada and Australia and emphasized the importance of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy in strengthening and diversifying trade
- joined Australia's Assistant Minister for Trade, Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, to launch the trade mission as part of the plenary session, along with a fireside chat at the AusCan Forum. Minister Ng highlighted the critical role the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) plays in the Canada-Australia trade relationship. For example, the CPTPP enables Canadian manufacturers in the aerospace and industrial machinery sectors to benefit from preferential tariff treatment when exporting to Australia
- attended an Indigenous Trade Circle, where she spoke about Canada's commitment to building an inclusive and sustainable economy, including expanding Indigenous-led trade between Canadian and Australian exporters on shared challenges and experiences in working together to create opportunities that empower Indigenous businesses and communities
- visited Genetec, a Montreal-based software company that recently expanded its Sydney office. She celebrated the launch of Genetec's new Canadian-designed product, Cloudrunner, a vehicle-centric investigation system that uses vehicle characteristics combined with automatic license plate recognition to enhance the ability to solve crimes. This successful partnership not only creates economic opportunities, but also enhances security measures, for the benefit of both Canada and Australia
- met with the executive leadership team of the Canada-Australia Chamber of Commerce, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, to discuss their work in supporting the Canada-Australia bilateral trade relationship and to map out a strategic path forward to support and expand trade and investment between the two countries.
To further raise Canada's profile in Australia, Minister Ng spoke with local media. She had interviews with Australian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship current affairs program, 7.30, and the major broadsheet print organisations in New South Wales (Sydney Morning Herald) and Victoria (The Age). She highlighted the importance of rules-based trade, trade diversification, Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, and the opportunities for expanded trade and investment between Canada and Australia.
Finally, throughout the trade mission, Minister Ng witnessed the signing of three memoranda of understanding between Canadian and Australian organizations. Namely between:
- the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and the Australia Research Data Commons
- Genome Canada and Australian Genomics
- Nova Graphene and TufWrap Pty Ltd.
Through these exciting business partnerships, Team Canada Trade Missions are deepening Canada's footprint in the Indo-Pacific, creating good-paying jobs, attracting investment into our communities, diversifying trade, and helping Canadian businesses succeed around the world.
