Montréal, October 18, 2013 ‒ The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is reacting positively to the announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Union President José Manuel Barroso of the conclusion of an agreement in principle on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). “The Board of Trade would like to recognize their leadership and congratulate them on this historic agreement,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “We would also like to salute the efforts of the Minister for International Trade, Ed Fast, and the chief negotiator for Quebec, Pierre Marc Johnson.”
“We are confident that the CETA will be beneficial for the city, which is the vanguard of economic ties with Europe and a natural gateway to North America for the movement of goods and people from Europe,” Michel Leblanc said. “It is one of our major competitive advantages that we will use to exploit the agreement’s full potential.”
“The signature of CETA will help local companies integrate to the global value chain and allow them to tap into the European Union market, with its 500 million consumers and GDP of over $17,000 billion,” Mr. Leblanc said. “The CETA will also make it easier to attract direct European investment to the city and enable better mobility of the highly qualified labour our companies are increasingly in need of.”
“Today’s announcement is part of a strategy of opening up markets for Canadian businesses that has been backed by different governments since Canada and the United States signed the Free Trade Agreement in 1988,” Michel Leblanc said. “This political continuity is worthy of note. With this agreement on CETA, we also pay tribute to former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, a visionary who played a decisive role since 2007 in negotiations between Canada and the European Union.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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Source :
Michelle LLambias Meunier
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4042
mllambias@ccmm.qc.ca
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