Canada sending biggest trade mission to the Philippines

Canada is sending its largest trade mission to Manila to help Canadian exporters and innovators position themselves in the Philippine market, the Canadian Embassy in Manila said in a report by Philippine News Agency.

The mission, which will be in Manila Dec. 4 to 6, is composed of at least 300 delegates to be led by Canadian Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development Honourable Mary Ng.

“This is the biggest Team Canada Trade Mission that we have done. It's bigger than Japan, it’s bigger than Korea. It speaks to the interests of Canadians and Canada at large to engage with the Philippines,” Guy Boileau, the Canadian Embassy’s Senior Trade Commissioner, said.

The trade mission will focus on areas of Canadian competitive advantage, including agriculture and processed foods; clean technologies, clean energy, green mining, and nuclear; information and communications technologies; and infrastructure.

Included in the mission’s program in Manila are on-site business briefings by Canada’s trade commissioners and senior officials, and market overviews with local industry players and experts.

At least 100 businesses from the Philippine side will engage with the mission.

In a briefing in Makati, Boileau attributed Canada's growing interest in the Philippines to its young tech savvy population, English-speaking market, and recent economic reforms, including the passage of the CREATE MORE (Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy) law.

“The Philippines is a growing economy. In GDP (gross domestic product) growth, we're looking at projections of 6 to 6.5 percent in 2025-2026. This is a great country that is seen increasingly as a hub where companies are looking at the Philippines to establish and using the Philippines as a hub in terms of servicing other countries in the region,” he said.

In 2023, Canada-Philippines two-way merchandise trade totaled USD3.4 billion, with the Philippines representing Canada's third most important export market in Southeast Asia.