CANADA

John Cannis, M.P. to lead trade mission to Greece

By Christine Mirkopoulos

OTTAWA - John Cannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to theMinister of Industry will be leading a trade delegation to Greece on behalf of the Government of Canada. The trade mission will take place from May 22 to 26, 2000 and will visit Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece. “The purpose of this mission is to promote the economic ties between Canada and Greece,” said Mr. Cannis. “I believe that Greece and the surrounding region is an emerging market that has many potential opportunities for Canadian companies.”

Key sectors that will be covered during the mission include Construction (Balkans reconstruction), Defence, Electronics, Engineering, Environment (such as garbage/waste disposal),Financial Services, Health Care, Information Technology, Mining, and Telecommunications. Other opportunities include material purchases and contracts related to the 2004 Olympic Games.

Mr. Cannis is enthusiastic about the mission and believes that it will be instrumental in creating new business partnerships between Canada and Greece; and opening the door to that region of the globe. “I encourage any Canadian company with a serious interest in trade relations with Greece to send in their application.” The mission will have a Canada-wide representation with seasoned Canadian exporters to Greece alongside new-to-market exporters.

Priority will go to companies with experience in the Greek and international markets. The deadline for registration is March 17, 2000 and the mission will accept the first 30 applications that meet the selection criteria.