Canada falling behind U.S. on trade with Africa, senators say – National | 24CA News
Senators are warning Trade Minister Mary Ng that Ottawa could also be falling behind its friends in establishing deeper commerce ties with Africa.
“We’re not in some of the geographies we need to be,” Ontario Sen. Peter Harder informed Ng throughout a Thursday assembly of the Senate foreign-affairs committee.
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The committee has been learning for months whether or not Global Affairs Canada is responding to the nation’s diplomatic wants, listening to from present and former workers of the division in addition to business and advocacy teams.
Ng appeared earlier than the committee to take questions from senators, who raised issues that the United States has been doing extra to begin commerce talks with an African group that spans many of the continent.
Quebec Sen. Amina Gerba, who initially hails from Cameroon, requested about yesterday’s announcement that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai had signed a memorandum with the African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat, which is establishing an enormous free-trade zone.
The deal commits the Americans to having common talks with African leaders as they put the brand new commerce zone into pressure and work towards signing an eventual commerce settlement with Washington.
Gerba requested Ng whether or not her workforce is engaged on nearer financial ties with Africa, and whether or not she envisions Canada signing a free-trade cope with the bloc.
Ng stated Canadian improvement work has seemingly helped pave the best way for African international locations to create the commerce bloc, and he or she famous facet offers Ottawa has signed with particular international locations round international funding.
But Ng didn’t affirm whether or not or not she sees a commerce deal coming collectively sooner or later.
“We absolutely have aspirations to deepen our (trade) relationship with Africa,” she stated, arguing that it might construct on previous commerce missions and Canada’s latest efforts to construct nearer ties with the African Union and between chambers of commerce.
“The dynamic opportunity in Africa is a very exciting one,” Ng stated. “We are doing the work by enabling businesses.”
But Harder famous that Ottawa has an anemic diplomatic presence on the continent, with lots of Canada’s ambassadors cross-appointed to a number of international locations on the identical time.
Canada has lower than half the variety of diplomatic missions in Africa that the United States has, and Harder recommended Ottawa ought to beef up its presence, even when that’s not by way of new embassies and excessive commissions.
Last month, the Liberals launched a long-awaited Indo-Pacific technique, which known as for nearer commerce, support and army ties inside that area to counterbalance the rise of China.
When requested how that plan can be put into pressure, Ng stated bureaucrats are nonetheless sorting it out.
“That planning for execution work is very much being planned right now,” she stated. “The capacity uplift that is part of the strategy is actually about people, and the kind of resources we will need in the region.”
Liberal MP Rob Oliphant has been tasked with drawing up an Africa technique due subsequent yr, though its drafting has solicited far much less consideration.
The senators informed Ng that they want Global Affairs Canada to be a lot nimbler in its means to search out and rent Canadians with experience in key languages and company expertise, together with for commerce duties.
The committee’s chair, Sen. Peter Boehm, requested if Ottawa may replicate a U.S. effort to scale back the time it takes to rent State Department workers to 6 months.
“It’s certainly very difficult here, at Global Affairs, because it can take years for someone to join,” the Ontario senator stated, stating that the common age of a Canadian diplomat is 47.
Others, resembling B.C. Sen. Yuen Pau Woo, stated Canada may faucet into the data of Canadians dwelling overseas, not simply to leverage their networks and assist Canadian companies faucet into commerce alternatives, but additionally to raised perceive their wants round taxes, pensions and maintaining ties with Canada.
“Canadian chambers of commerce in the Asia-Pacific (region), generally they feel they’re underutilized by the trade commissioner service, and the foreign service more generally,” he stated.
Ng stated she would take into account the suggestions.
Her Thursday look got here a day after the ethics commissioner discovered she had damaged federal conflict-of-interest guidelines when she didn’t recuse herself from a contract her workplace awarded to the agency of considered one of her pals.
Senators didn’t query Ng in regards to the ruling and as an alternative caught to the subject of international affairs.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
