Canada trade to grow, business leaders hear

The Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Dennis King, was in Westmeath on Monday for a special visit to the county where he met with local officials and businesses.

The visit, arranged by Minister Robert Troy, focused on the business links between Canada and this constituency in a bid to reinforce the trade and cultural links between the area and Canada.

Ambassador King visited Butler Manufacturing and Lough Ree Distillery in Longford, and on this side of the constituency, he called in to Bevcraft in Mullingar. Ambassador King also attended a business roundtable with Westmeath businesses organised by Westmeath County Council and the LEO.

“As the ambassador, I try to serve Canada in the entire country of Ireland. I try to get outside of Dublin as much as I can. I ran into Robert when I first got here and he talked to me about the economic ecosystem that exists in Ireland outside of Dublin,” Ambassador King said.

Canadian foreign direct investment in Ireland is up by 131 per cent since 2016, while Irish investment in Canada rose by 35 per cent. At the end of 2023, Canadian-based multinational enterprises operating in Ireland employed more than 22,000 people, while Irish MNEs operating in Canada employed more than 19,000 people at the end of 2023.

“It really opened my eyes to, you know, there’s so many companies here doing work from what might be considered a small place or a small county in Ireland, but the reach they have is worldwide,” Ambassador King said. “Today I met the gents from Bevcraft. They’re doing business in the US, the UK and Canada. In global terms, Mullingar is a small place, but in global terms, there’s tremendous innovation, creativity, and opportunity here.”

The Canadian ambassador said those trading opportunities go both ways: “I think as Canada moves to change some of its trading relationships and limits its reliance on the US, we’re looking toward the EU. The Canadian embassy is working with companies from Canada, and also looking at mainland Europe, with Ireland as a springboard to mainland Europe.” In the course of the whistle-stop tour, the ambassador also visited the Famine Graveyard in Mullingar to hear about plans for its future.

Deputy Troy spoke of the possibilities presented by the visit: “It was a pleasure to welcome Ambassador King to Longford and Westmeath this week. There are significant trade and historic links between Ireland and Canada, including Irish exports of some $3.8bn.

“It was a great opportunity for local businesses to discuss their offerings and growth ambitions with the Canadian ambassador, and I thank the ambassador and his team for this engagement at a pivotal time for the global economy.”