Hon. Amina Gerba: Welcome, minister.

You recently led a major trade mission to Mexico, involving more than 370 delegates and 240 organizations, to strengthen economic ties and explore new opportunities in key sectors. What concrete trade results, planned investments and specific commitments were secured during that mission?

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., M.P., President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy: Great question. You rightly mentioned the strong interest from Canadian organizations and companies, both small and large. I took part in a number of sessions in Monterrey and in Mexico City. We arranged over 1,800 meetings between Canadian companies and prospective partners in Mexico. This kind of commercial exchange takes months to bring to fruition. Robust follow-up will take place over the next few months to support Canadian companies.

I took note of two examples. A Quebec company called Logistec announced a major investment in an ocean port on Mexico’s east coast. It was a request and suggestion from Mexico’s president, Ms. Sheinbaum, to increase port-to-port connectivity. This goes back to Senator Dean’s question. This is one very specific example involving a Quebec corporation worth tens of millions of dollars.

Here’s some more good news: I met with the CEO of a Mexican mining company that’s investing close to three quarters of a billion dollars to purchase a gold mine in Quebec. It’s an investment from Mexico to Canada, one of the first ever.