Ottawa, Ottawa –
Canadian Ministers of International Trade, Ed Fast, and Agriculture and Agri-Food, Gerry Ritz, welcomed the first round of free trade negotiations with Morocco, held in Ottawa on October 11-14.
12 October 2011
“A trade agreement with Morocco will help Canadian businesses across a range of sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, and services industries,” Ritz said in a statement posted on the government website “Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.”
“It will also create jobs, prosperity and opportunity for families who rely on these sectors for their livelihood,” added the Minister.
In 2010, Canada-Morocco bilateral merchandise trade totalled $328.2 million.
Morocco is already an important export destination for Canadian merchandise exports, importing $186.9 million in Canadian goods in 2010,” said the same source.
“While Canada and Morocco already enjoy long-standing cultural and linguistic ties, closer economic ties will deepen this relationship and enhance trade and investment opportunities in both countries,” said Minister Fast.
“I am particularly pleased that a free trade agreement with Morocco would be Canada’s first with an African country. Our government will continue its transparent and collaborative approach during the trade negotiations to ensure that any agreement reached is in the best interest of Canadians,” he pointed out.
“These negotiations are really important for Canadian farmers since agriculture products, especially wheat and pulses, dominate our current trade with Morocco,” said Minister Ritz.
