Canada is strengthening its approach to international trade with the launch of a new Strategic Exports Office (SEO), a federal initiative designed to help Canadian companies secure major business opportunities and expand into markets around the world.
Announced by International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu in Brampton, Ontario, the Strategic Exports Office will operate within Global Affairs Canada in close collaboration with Export Development Canada. The new office is intended to bring together Canada’s diplomatic, commercial and financial expertise to help businesses navigate global markets, remove trade barriers and coordinate high-level government support in sectors including aerospace and defence, infrastructure and energy.
The office will focus on identifying and advancing large-scale export opportunities that are strategically important to Canada’s economy. It will also coordinate whole-of-government engagement on behalf of Canadian firms while supporting targeted advocacy by senior government officials when government involvement can help secure international business opportunities.
Alongside the new office, Minister Sidhu announced the creation of the Strategic Exports Advisory Council, bringing together senior leaders from some of Canada’s largest companies and business organizations. The council will provide direct advice on trade diversification, identify emerging opportunities and challenges, and offer real-time feedback on how the Strategic Exports Office can best support Canadian exporters.
Council members include executives from OpenText, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, CAE, De Havilland, Nouveau Monde Graphite, AtkinsRéalis, Cameco, Telesat, MDA Space, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, WSP, Bombardier, Scotiabank and Manulife. Together, the organizations represented on the council support hundreds of thousands of jobs across Canada.
The initiative forms part of Canada’s broader effort to diversify trade and achieve its goal of doubling exports to markets beyond the United States by 2035. By strengthening coordination between government and industry, the new office is intended to help Canadian businesses compete more effectively in an increasingly complex global marketplace while supporting long-term economic growth and job creation across the country.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney, we have already secured more than $28 billion in international sales for Canadian companies. Today’s announcement builds on that work and accelerates it. That’s why we are bringing together leaders from some of Canada’s biggest companies, alongside diplomatic and financial specialists, as Team Canada. Canadian exports power our economy. They support millions of jobs and strengthen communities in every province and territory. The Strategic Exports Office and Strategic Exports Advisory Council mark a decisive step toward doubling our exports to non-U.S. markets. And they give Canadian businesses the whole-of-government support they need to compete and win around the world,” stated Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade.
