Canada and the United States share an important friendship and a strong business relationship that offers great opportunities for Canadian tech companies and startup communities.
This week, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, visited California and participated in this year's C100 Annual Summit, where Canadian leaders and entrepreneurs met to discuss ways to advance Canadian entrepreneurship. During her visit, Minister Ng met with Canadian leaders and entrepreneurs from the technology sector. She highlighted the Government of Canada's efforts to support entrepreneurs from under-represented groups, including women-led businesses through Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. She also presented Canada's innovation economy through programs such as the Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative and ElevateIP.
Minister Ng met with representatives of Marvell Technology as well as Silicon Catalyst, one of the world's only incubators focused on semiconductor solutions, and learned about their partnership with ventureLAB, a global leader creating hardware technology and enterprise software in the semiconductor industry based in Markham, Ontario.
The Minister addressed anti-Asian racism in a round-table conversation with community and business leaders in partnership with the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce. The conversation focused on how Canada and California can work together to combat anti-Asian hate. Minister Ng highlighted the importance of advocacy efforts against anti-Asian racism and how Canada is working with business leaders from under-represented groups on the issue. The Minister expressed condolences to the community following the recent hate crimes that took place in California on Lunar New Year.
Minister Ng saw Canadian cleantech in action when visiting the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to view the Nova Bus LFSe+, an innovative electric bus designed and engineered in Quebec, built through Canada's integrated supply chains, and procured by the SFMTA. Following this, the Minister toured Space Explorers: The Infinite, the world's largest interactive and fully immersive virtual reality experience of space exploration. Filmed in collaboration with NASA, the interactive experience showcases International Space Station components, including Canada's contribution, Canadarm2.
