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Canada

General Information & Brief Economic Summary

Standards

Government Contacts in Canada

US Contacts in Canada

Canadian Government Contacts

Trade Associations and Other Key Contacts

Trade Event Schedule

 

General Information & Brief Economic Summary

Canada has an affluent economy that is closely integrated with that of the United States, resembling not only US per capita output, but also its market-oriented economic System and pattern of Production. Poised for an above-average growth are the biotechnology sector, the aircraft and parts industry, and business services. Production and services in Canada are predominantly privately owned and operated. The Canada-U.S. trade relationship is the largest ever to exist between two nations. Two-way trade in goods and services between Canada and the United States during 2000 was estimated at approximately C$700 billion, or almost C$2.0 billion per day.

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Standards

The NAFTA provides that testing facilities, inspection agencies, and certification bodies of each country have access to the accreditation systems of the other country without obligation to establish facilities in the other country. While provincial practices do not fall under the NAFTA discipline, US government agencies at post and in Washington will closely monitor provincial requirements and press for fair treatment of American organizations. Under the aegis of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), several private standards-writing organizations administer technical codes and standards. These organizations Include:

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (UL)
The Canadian General Standards Board

The CSA has officially been recognized by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Canada is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and was a founding member of its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Canada has also been an active member of both the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiation process.

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Government Contacts in Canada

U.S. Contacts in Canada

U.S. Embassy/Consulate Trade-Related Contacts
Located in Canada

Commercial Service Canada's Home Page address on the Internet is:
http://www.ita.doc.gov/cscanada



U.S. Embassy - Ottawa
Commercial Service
United States Embassy
P.O. Box 866, Station "B"
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5T1
Tel: (613) 688-5217
Fax: (613) 238-5999
Contact: Thomas Lee Boam, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs
Email: Ottawa.office.box@mail.doc.gov

US Consulate General - Calgary
Commercial Service
615 Macleod Trail SE, Suite 1000
Calgary, Alberta
T2G 4T8
Tel: (403) 265-2116
Fax: (403) 266-4743
Contact: Michael Speck, Principal Commercial Officer
Email: Calgary.office.box@mail.doc.gov

US Consulate General - Halifax
Commercial Service
Purdy's Wharf II, Suite 904
1969 Upper Water Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3R7
Tel: (902) 429-2482, ext. 102
Fax: (902) 429-7690
Contact: Richard Vinson, Commercial Specialist (FSN)
Email: Halifax.office.box@mail.doc.gov

US Consulate General - Montreal
Commercial Service
1155 St. Alexandra Street
h3b1z1
Montreal, Quebec
H2Z1Z2
Tel: (514) 398-9695 ext. 2260
Fax: (514) 398-0711
Contact: Richard Kanter, Principal Commercial Officer
Email: Montreal.office.box@mail.doc.gov

US consulate General - Toronto Commercial Service
480 University Avenue, Suite 602
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1V2
Tel: (416) 595-5406, ext. 221
Fax: (416) 595-5419
Contact: Patrick Santillo, Principal Commercial Officer
Email: Toronto.office.box@mail.doc.gov

US Consulate General - Vancouver
Commercial Service
1095 W. Pender Street, 21st Floor
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 2M6
Tel: (604) 685-3382 ext. 278
Fax: (604) 687-6095
Contact: Robert Jones, Principal Commercial Officer
Email: Vancouver.office.box@mail.doc.gov

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Canadian Government Contacts

Export Development Corporation
Place Export Canada
151 O'Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1K3
Tel: (613) 598-2500
Fax: (613) 237-2690
Internet website: www.edc.ca

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G2
Tel: (613) 944-4000
Fax: (613) 944-6500
Internet website: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H5
Tel: (613) 944-2010
Fax: (613) 941-1000
Internet website: www.ic.gc.ca

Industry Canada (for federal labeling requirements)
Consumer Packaging and Labeling Section
Merchandise Standards Division
Consumer Products Branch
Place du Portage, 22nd Floor
50 Victoria Street
Hull, Quebec
K1A 0C9
Tel: 1-800-348-5358
Fax: (819) 997-0324

Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
Connaught Building
555 MacKenzie Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0L8
Tel - Taxation inquiries: (613) 957-1382
Tel - Customs inquiries: (613) 991-0566
Internet website: www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca

Standards Council of Canada
270 Albert Street
Suite 200
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6N7
Telephone: (613) 238-3222
Fax: (613) 569-7808
Internet website: www.scc.ca

Statistics Canada
R.H. Coats Building
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6
Tel: (613) 951-8116
Fax: (613) 951-0581
Internet website: www.statcan.ca

Department of Transport
Transport Canada Building
Place de Ville
330 Sparks Street
K1A 0N5
Tel: (613) 990-2309
Fax: (613) 995-0351
Internet website: www.tc.gc.ca

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Trade Associations and Other Key Contacts

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada
60 Queen Street, Suite 1200
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5Y7
Tel: (613) 232-4297
Fax: (613) 232-1142
Internet website: www.aiac.ca

Alliance of Manufacturers and Exporters Canada
5995 Avebury Road, Suite 900
Mississauga, Ontario
L5R 3P9
Tel: (905) 568-8300
Fax: (905) 568-8330
Internet Website: www.cme-mec.ca

Automotive Industries Association of Canada
1272 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1Y 3A7
Tel: (613) 728-5821
Fax: (613) 728-6021
Internet website: www.aiacanada.com

Business Council on National Issues
Delta Office Tower
90 Sparks Street, Suite 806
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5B4
Tel: (613) 238-3727
Fax: (613) 236-8679
email: global@bcni.com

CATA Alliance (Canadian Advanced Technology Association)
388 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 5B2
Tel: (613) 236-6550
Fax: (613) 236-8189
Internet website: www.cata.ca

Canadian Chamber of Commerce
350 Sparks Street, Suite 501
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 7S8
Tel: (613) 238-4000
Fax: (613) 238-7643
Internet website: www.chamber.canet

Canadian Council for International Business
350 Sparks Street, Suite 501
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 7S8
Tel: (613) 230-5462
Fax: (613) 230-7087
Email: bcni@flexnet.com

The Canadian Association of Importers & Exporter, Inc.
438 University Ave., Suite 1618
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2K8
Tel: (416) 595-5333
Fax: (416) 595-8226
Intenet website: www.importers.ca

CITT--The Canadian Association of Traffic & Transportation
http://www.citt.ca/

CSCL -Now-- SCL-CAL-Supply Chain & Logistics Canada
http://www.infochain.org/

Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC)
2800 Skymark Avenue, Suite 402
Mississauga, Ontario
L4W 5A6
Tel: (905) 602-8345
Fax: (905) 602-8346
Internet website: www.itac.ca

Packaging Association of Canada
2255 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite E-330
Willowdale, Ontario
M2J 4Y1
Tel: (416) 490-7860
Fax: (416) 490-7844
Internet website: www.pac.ca

TAC -Transportation Association of Canada
http://www.tac-atc.ca/

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Trade Event Schedule

CMHL 2005
May 2005
Metro Toronto Convention Centre

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Source: US Department of Commerce.

*This guide is not a complete list of trade associations or publications. We welcome any additions to this document. The Material Handling Industry does not assume a legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information contained herein. The listing of information here does not reflect an endorsement of any of the particular information by the Material Handling Industry.