Sharjah’s business links with the world’s second largest country was the topic on the table when Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq, hosted a trade meeting with a delegation from Canada.

The roundtable event saw the two parties assess an array of initiatives that have potential to lead to significant mutual benefits for Canada and the UAE.

Aimed at exploring bilateral investment opportunities as part of Shurooq’s efforts to enhance Sharjah’s economic landscape through increased trade cooperation, the meeting was chaired by Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq.

Heading the Canadian delegation was Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Minister Responsible for Digital Government and Deputy Premier of Ontario, Canada.

Attending the meeting were Michael Chan, Canadian Minister of International Trade, Masud Husain, Canadian Ambassador to the UAE and Emmanuel Kamarianakis, Consul-General of Canada in Dubai. The delegation discussed how the province of Ontario, one of the strongest in Canada in economic terms, contributed to a quarter of the country’s GDP.

Al Sarkal underlined the importance of strengthening trade exchange between Sharjah and Ontario and attracting more Canadian investment to Sharjah.

"The Canadian delegation members were very interested in finding out more about Sharjah’s environment that supports business growth and expansion, and were impressed by the investment opportunities that we discussed with them. Ministers Mathews and Chan said that Sharjah could benefit from the experience of Canadian companies to develop its economy" he added.

Al Sarkal said they noted that these companies use modern technology, skills and talents, and are able to achieve more positive impact in their respective fields. "We aim to attract such companies and widen the scope of joint trade exchange to a higher level," he said.

Deb Matthews stressed that the government of Ontario province is interested in enhancing economic collaboration with the UAE in general. She highlighted the importance of establishing stronger relations with the government, the private sector and the organisations within the UAE, with the aim of strengthening partnerships, innovation, trade and investment in sectors such as life sciences, information technology, telecommunications, banking and financial sciences, food and agriculture, clean technology and infrastructure.