Canada – Readout of a video conference call between the defence ministers of Canada and Ukraine

Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov via video conference. This was a follow-up to the ministers’ call from last week.

January 25, 2022 – Ottawa, Ont. – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov via video conference. This was a follow-up to the ministers’ call from last week.

During the call, Minister Anand indicated that she is looking forward to meeting with Minister Reznikov in-person in the near future, including to further discuss the security situation on the ground in Ukraine. Minister Reznikov reiterated Ukraine’s gratitude for the Canadian Armed Forces’ support to the Security Forces of Ukraine through Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s training and capacity building mission. 

The ministers discussed their increasing concerns with respect to Russia’s aggression and military buildup in and around Ukraine, as well as Moscow’s lack of willingness to engage seriously on the matter and put forward reasonable proposals to de-escalate. The meeting also focused on Canada’s previous and current engagement in Ukraine, with both ministers speaking about the additional assistance Canada could potentially provide.

The ministers further recognized the importance of collective security and the need for strengthened coordination with partners and allies in upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Associated Links

Canada-Ukraine Relations
Operation UNIFIER
CF Operations Twitter

Daniel Minden

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of National Defence

Phone: 613-996-3100

Email: Daniel.Minden@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations

Department of National Defence

Phone: 613-904-3333

Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

Canada – Readout: Minister Champagne meets with EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton

Brussels, Belgium

Today, François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, met with Thierry Breton, the European Union’s Commissioner for the Internal Market.

The Minister and the Commissioner discussed how to deepen trade and scientific ties between Canada and the EU to drive a green economic recovery and build back better in the wake of the pandemic. Minister Champagne took the opportunity to laud Commissioner Breton for his leadership role in strengthening COVID-19 vaccine supply chains, which enabled the EU to export doses to 150 countries, including Canada. The two sides recognized the importance of building new biomanufacturing capacity, including vaccine production, to respond to the current pandemic and future global health emergencies, as well as building more reliable supply chains for critical minerals and technologies.

The Minister and the Commissioner talked about the importance of collaboration in the area of digital technologies, building on the progress made at the Canada-EU Summit in June 2021, at which it was proposed to leverage digital tools and international forums like the Canada-EU Digital Dialogue and the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) to further a sustainable recovery. They reiterated their keenness to work together in another area of focus identified at the summit: space and satellite technology.

The Minister and the Commissioner agreed to remain in close contact to advance their shared priorities.

Associated link

Canada and the European Union

John Power

Senior Manager, Communications and Media Relations

Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

john.power@ised-isde.gc.ca

Media Relations

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

343-291-1777

media@ised-isde.gc.ca

Canada – Joint readout: Minister François-Philippe Champagne meets with Secretary Gina Raimondo of the United States

Washington, DC

Today, François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, met in Washington to discuss areas of cooperation that build upon the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership.

The Minister and Secretary outlined a work plan to build back better together by increasing cross-border collaboration and advancing post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts. Throughout the meeting, Minister Champagne and Secretary Raimondo also emphasized the importance of our steadfast partnership, our highly integrated industrial base, our shared geography and, importantly, our shared values. The Minister and Secretary agreed to meet quarterly to ensure progress on their shared priorities.

Through the work plan, the Minister and Secretary:

Acknowledged the importance of cooperation on supply chain security and resiliency and agreed to:

reinforce existing cooperation under the U.S.-Canada Critical Minerals Action Plan and carry out industry engagement in order to expand work to target a net-zero industrial transformation, batteries for zero-emissions vehicles, and renewable energy storage;
share approaches on enhancing security of the software supply chain; and
support increased cooperation to establish more secure and resilient supply chains for advanced telecommunications network technology, including for 5G systems and beyond. 

Recognized the critical role of innovation in sustainable and inclusive economic recovery and agreed to:

explore opportunities for collaboration on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science and technology, next-generation telecommunications, and genome measurement;
specifically on artificial intelligence, identify ways to deepen cooperation on maintaining the integrity of standards-setting bodies, information sharing, and support for the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence;
exchange environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) best practices, including on issues related to sustainable finance, diversity and corporate governance, and identify areas of future cooperation incorporating private sector ESG practitioners; and
continue to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and consider ways to enhance patent and trademark efficiency.

Underscored the value of collaborating in international fora and agreed to:

continue to work bilaterally and with other economies to promote the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross-Border Privacy Rules system and how it might be expanded beyond APEC;
collaborate bilaterally and in relevant international fora to advance enhanced vendor diversity, including through cooperation on open radio access networks;
seek to cooperate on a range of digital issues in other fora such as the G7 and G20; and
coordinate bilaterally on hemispheric issues in the lead-up to the North American Leaders Summit and Summit of the Americas.

John Power

Senior Manager, Communications and Media Relations

Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

john.power@ised-isde.gc.ca

Media Relations

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

343-291-1777

media@ised-isde.gc.ca

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Canada – Readout: Minister Diane Lebouthillier met with Femmessor – April 27, 2021

Today, the Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier met with female entrepreneurs and leaders at an event hosted by Femmessor in Gaspésie to discuss how the Government of Canada is investing in a sustainable, inclusive, feminist and resilient economy.

Today, the Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier met with female entrepreneurs and leaders at an event hosted by Femmessor in Gaspésie to discuss how the Government of Canada is investing in a sustainable, inclusive, feminist and resilient economy.

During the round table, the Minister also heard from participants about the impacts of the pandemic has had on their efforts and communities.

The pandemic has disproportionately impacted women, and the Government is committed to supporting female Canadian entrepreneurs. Budget 2021 aims to support women’s health and sets out a fundamentally feminist growth and jobs plan to remove systemic barriers and inequalities once and for all, instead seeking to give all Canadian women the opportunity to participate fully in the country’s economy.

Amongst other things, the 2021 federal budget proposes to provide up to $146.9 million over four years to strengthen the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Women entrepreneurs would thus have better access to financing, mentoring and training. In addition, there is also specific assistance to promote the full economic participation of racialized people, immigrants, members of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis, LGBTQ2 + communities and people with disabilities. The Minister and the participants discussed these topics, and she listened thoughtfully to the participants who described how the pandemic is affecting them as entrepreneurs. The Minister mentioned what the Government is doing with the proposed budget to ameliorate the circumstances of Canadians facing challenges such as selling their products, obtaining tools such as machinery, and other challenges facing female entrepreneurs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Femmessor thanked Minister Lebouthillier for her support of women in Canada, and more broadly the Government of Canada for announcing measures to promote an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.

Femmessor was founded in 1995 to facilitate women entrepreneurs’ access to financing and consulting services. Since 1997, the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation has supported this local initiative, which has enabled the creation of 17 offices across Quebec. Femmessor empowers women entrepreneurs to actively participate in creating a better world. To achieve this goal, it focusses its activities on the development of women’s entrepreneurship and contributes directly to the creation, growth, and acquisition of businesses operated and owned, in whole or in part, by women. Femmessor is recognized for its direct impact on the increase in the number of women-owned businesses in Quebec, and plays a leading role in entrepreneurship by actively participating in the economic vitality of our society and creating a better world.

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Canada – Readout: Minister Wilkinson meets with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland ahead of Leaders Summit on Climate

Gatineau, Quebec

Today, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, spoke with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. The meeting built on a long history of cooperation on nature-related matters between Canada and the United States.

The two reaffirmed their commitment to work together and with others to increase the scale and speed of action to protect nature and wildlife, including through supporting Indigenous solutions, and ensuring that conservation plays a role in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. They also noted their mutual commitment to protecting nature and combatting climate change in an ambitious and integrated way.

Minister Wilkinson highlighted Canada’s recent commitments to nature – including the historic investments that it is making in nature protection, Indigenous-led conservation and nature-based solutions. The Minister noted Canada’s $4.1B in Budget 2021 in nature protection overall earlier this week, which means it will be able to achieve its goal of protecting 25 percent of its lands and oceans by 2025 and be well set to meet its 30 percent by 2030 target. These new funds will, in part, support the creation of new national wildlife areas, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and the expansion of Canada’s Indigenous Guardians programs and build on commitments to protect species at risk and engage in ecological restoration to restore biodiversity and tackle climate change.

The Minister also noted that he is looking forward to participating in Secretary Haaland’s nature-based climate solutions discussion at the U.S.-led Leaders Summit on Climate tomorrow to share Canada’s perspective on the need to emphasize protecting intact nature in carbon-rich ecosystems as a primary strategy as well as to engage in ecological restoration such as planting trees and restoring wetlands and grasslands.

Associated Links

U.S. Canada High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Ambition
Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership
Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy
U.S.-Canada Joint Statement on Climate, Energy, and Arctic Leadership

Moira Kelly

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

819-271-6218

moira.kelly@canada.ca