MONTREAL (March 28, 2018) – Governor Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger concluded the Canada economic development mission in Quebec today, advancing international partnerships in logistics and business.
“As the gateway to the St. Lawrence Seaway, Quebec is a critical maritime partner of Indiana,” Gov. Holcomb said. “The opportunity to explore increased investment and job opportunities with Quebec businesses and government leaders was the perfect capstone to our first economic development mission to Canada.”
Indiana and Quebec share robust maritime economies and trade connections through Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipments and are strategically located to serve as key transportation hubs, together accounting for more than 40 percent of the total business revenue generated by the region’s shipping. The governor and the delegation met with key stakeholders tied to this partnership, including:
- Quebec Minister for Maritime Affairs Jean D’Amour, to reinforce each region’s commitment to partnerships across economic development, research and innovation between Indiana and Quebec and specifically through their maritime connections;
- Paul Pathy, chief executive officer of Montreal-based Fednav, which is Canada’s largest dry-bulk shipping company and operates roughly half of ocean vessels entering the Great Lakes and calling on Indiana. Fednav is also the parent company of Federal Marine Terminals (FMT), which is the general cargo terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor and is the Ports of Indiana’s largest customer; and
- Officials from the Port of Montreal, which is the closest deep-water port to Indiana in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway and the last port of call before ocean vessels enter the Seaway locks en route to Indiana from global destinations, serving as a critical exchange point for Indiana shippers and customers.
Gov. Holcomb, Sec. Schellinger, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, and Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper and Vice President Jody Peacock also attended a number of business roundtables to discuss current ties between Indiana and Canada and opportunities to grow investment in both directions, hosted in partnership with:
- The Counseil Des Relations Internationales de Montreal (CORIM), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering international affairs and closer collaboration between various sectors. The delegation discussed the importance of thinking globally for business and the strong ties between Indiana and Quebec with officials from companies and organizations like Bell Canada, National Public Relations, Hydro-Quebec and Air Canada.
- Two aerospace industry associations, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) and Aero Montreal. The aerospace industry in Quebec, which is centered in Montreal, is home to more than 200 companies and invests more than $1 billion annually in R&D, accounting for 70 percent of the country’s total. The province is home to global leaders like Bell Canada, Bombardier, CAE, Pratt & Whitney Canada, GE Aviation Canada and Rolls-Royce Canada.
- The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec, which represents more than 60,000 businesses and 150,000 executives throughout the province, meeting officials from companies already operating in Indiana and those that may be interested, including Canadian National, Coca Cola Canada, LPA Medical, Next Move Group, NovaBus (Volvo), Polycor and Roche Diagnostics.
The governor and First Lady Janet Holcomb also hosted a logistics industry dinner last night in Montreal, convening Indiana and Canada stakeholders in maritime and rail, representing companies like Cargo M, Desgagnes, Fednav, Kruger, the Port of Trois-Rivieres and Armateurs du Saint-Laurent shipoperators.
This concludes the Governor’s three-day international trade mission to Canada. On Monday, the Governor pitched Indiana as a great place to do business to Canadian executives and met with Government of Canada officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft. On Tuesday, the Governor joined Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to sign a memorandum in Toronto, which is designed to strengthen the economic relationship between Ontario and Indiana through greater collaboration, and shared best practices across economic development and investment, workforce development, academics, infrastructure and industry diversification.
More information on economic and trade ties between Indiana and Canada is available here.
