Canada-Russia Business Council successfully concludes its final meeting «ESG AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW REALITY»
Over 600 participants became a part of the 4-weeks marathon of the 6 sector-focused working groups and a final plenary session on the 18th of November having addressed life sciences, telemedicine and healthcare, cleantech in mining, metals and oil and gas, construction and infrastructure, aerospace and transportation, agri-tech and agri-food as well as ICT.
MOSCOW & WWW, November 18, 2021 – The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) and the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP) are pleased to have hosted the 6th biannual meeting of the Canada-Russia Business Council (CRBC). The CRBC was created to promote a deeper understanding of Russian and Canadian markets and a thoughtful delivery of quality information, analysis and business intelligence on their investment and business landscape. It assembles experts from business, finance, purchasing, government, diplomatic, consulting, academic and non-profit backgrounds to focus on key trends, constraints and opportunities in the bilateral relations in the context of today’s global economy, Arctic and North development, post-pandemic recovery and ESG.
The event was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Canada, who noted that in the past 9 months Canada-Russia bilateral trade turnover had grown by 75% compared to 2020 and pointed out the investment climate improvement priorities.
The keynote address was delivered by a prominent Russia expert, renowned economist, Daniel Thorniley, who stated that “…business in Russia is better for your companies than Latin America, infinitely superior to Africa, much better than the Middle East and better than many markets of Asia.” The participants gained unfiltered insights about investment opportunities in Russia and its market dynamics.
CRBC’s panelists included the representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Kinross Gold Corporation, Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie of the Government of Quebec as well as Former Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Government.
Gilles Breton, the Chairman of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association and Co-Chair of the CRBC from the Canadian side outlined the major takeaways from the meeting including a leadership role in all aspects of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) by CRBC and its stakeholders; trade diversification focus; innovation underpinning the new bilateral trade activity. He also said: “We will have to consider more interaction with our respective governments in terms of removing obstacles to trade or misalignments in the pursuit of sustainable development and trade diversification objectives. In the case of Canada, our work is already cut out for us: reverse not so much policy but practice that is inconsistent with that of all of Canada’s allies that also happen to be competitors in the Russian market. As part of our interaction with regional and provincial governments, we have seen the need to seek integration with the Arctic Council and the Nordic Council.” Gilles Breton also underscored the people aspect: “Specific comments from some of our stakeholders also remind us that in Canada we need to convey throughout our activities the intrinsically positive image of our business cooperation with Russia and of our Russian partners.”
The event was moderated by Nathan Hunt, the Chairman of the Moscow Chapter of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association. “Canada-Russia Business Council is committed to building, strengthening and promoting long-term cooperation between business entities in Canada and the Russian Federation,” said Nathan.
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About CRBC
The Russia Canada Business Council (RCBC) is committed to building, strengthening and promoting long-term cooperation between business entities in Canada and Russia. The impetus for the formation of the Council arose from Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 12, 2004. Both leaders expressed a commitment to the nurturing and development of long-term business ties between Canada and Russia.
The RCBC was created in 2005 by the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) and held its first general meeting in October 2005 in Moscow. The work of the RCBC has been carried out through the establishment of active committees with the participation of Canadian and Russian industry leaders, each focusing on an individual sector of the bilateral trade and investment relationship. In addition, the Council is mandated to assist in resolving any trade disputes and will work towards the reduction or elimination of trade and investment barriers.
Continued RCBC work provides a welcome opportunity to reaffirm the strong and growing economic relationship between Canada and Russia, providing a solid foundation for broader cooperation and progress in their overall bilateral relationship.
About CERBA
The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association was founded in 2004 with a mandate to enhance and support trade, investment and good relations between the countries of Canada, Eurasia and Russia. CERBA is a unique non- for-profit organization having a network of over 180 corporations. To meet the dynamic needs of its growing membership it has established seven chapters located in Moscow, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Almaty. As an association, CERBA provides an extensive network of contacts in the private and public sectors with frequent events, informative seminars on pertinent topics in the Eurasian market, a bi-annual business summit, a quarterly printed Newsletter, committees of the Canada-Russia Business Council (CRBC), and annual trade missions. Additionally CERBA provides market intelligence, advocates with the Canadian and Eurasian government on key issues, and manages active sector-based committees to promote partnership between CERBA members and their counterparts in Eurasia.
About the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP)
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), established in June 1990, is a non-governmental organisation promoting the interests of Russia’s business community. The RSPP President is Alexander Shokhin. The RSPP was set up to promote Russian business interests in Russia and abroad, to help make Russia more business friendly and attractive to investors, and to maintain the balance of interests of business, government and society. The RSPP represents the interests of all Russian businesses, regardless of their size, sector or location. The RSPP operates in two capacities: as a non-governmental organisation, and as a national association of employers. This enables the RSPP to promote the interests of its members most effectively.
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