Around 30 Canadian companies are expected to get to know the potential of Santa Catarina during a mission to the State, in August this year, as announced by the secretary of Foreign Affairs of Santa Catarina’s government, Juliano Froehner. According to the secretary, the alignment for this visit is the result of his current mission to Canada and participation in Collision, an event in Toronto that has the presence of 118 countries. “It is a very important event, with almost 40 thousand people participating. It is Santa Catarina becoming more and more international and assuming its role with its companies and its productive force before the world.”

According to Froehner, the Secretariat, under the guidance of Governor Jorginho Mello, has carried out the commercial promotion of the State, monitoring, endorsing and supporting all companies in the technology sector, in addition to micro and small companies linked to Sebrae /SC, to promote the area abroad during the internationalization process. “We support all those companies that are exporting, that are putting a subsidiary abroad. At the same time, we are attracting state-of-the-art technology companies to Santa Catarina, among others.”

Toronto is considered an important financial and business center and one of the main Canadian cities that is home to large companies, being a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2017, the Toronto region’s GDP grew by approximately 3.3% (Source: Conference Board of Canada, Moody’s, Oxford Analytics, Statistics Canada, 2017). The city is competitive in almost every industry, from technology and life sciences to green energy.

In addition to the bilateral agreements recently signed, such as the free trade agreement between the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) and Canada for Brazilian agriculture and livestock, Santa Catarina also maintains a strong bilateral relationship with that country. According to the Fiesc Observatory, some of the products imported from Canada to SC are currently potassium fertilizers, ethylene polymers, packaged medicines and raw nickel. Among those exported, poultry and pork meat, electric motors, motor parts, electrical transformers and machines and equipment for agricultural use stand out.

At the invitation of Acate, Froehner should also have a diplomatic agenda regarding the matter of maintaining green areas in Santa Catarina via carbon credits. The mission to Canada, which continues until this Friday (30), is an initiative of the Santa Catarina Technology Association (Acate) with the Brazil – Canada Mission, Sebrae/SC and the Canadian consulate. It has institutional support from the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce (BCCC).