NETWORKING RECEPTION FOR THE WORLD ROAD CONGRESS

September 18, 2007

On behalf of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, I am very pleased to participate with the Canadian delegation at this meeting – a meeting that I see as the heart of the Congress.

We are all aware that business does not occur in a vacuum.

We are here to exchange ideas and share experiences.

It seems obvious to me that technology is not ready to replace direct contact with the people who will become clients, suppliers, allies and also competitors.

We have the proof right here this evening.

The Canadian road sector is not defined by the extent of its history, but rather by the enormous challenges that it has faced over the past century, that is, building a system in a territory measuring more than 10 million square kilometres, in conditions that are not always hospitable.

I can assure you that the representatives of Canadian companies working in this field carry this history with them.

They also carry the challenges associated with quickly changing needs, including those related to sustainability and financing.

Our future success will be linked to our ability to be innovative and to constantly rethink our procedures and approaches.

The people in this room represent the frontrunners of the road sector.

I hope that each of us will benefit from the best practices and new approaches that come from all over the world.

I would like to add that our sector entails a heavy responsibility: leaving future generations with infrastructure that will continue to serve them well and that will be responsive to demographic and environmental issues.

While we recognize our responsibilities and understand the significance of our actions for the future, this sector is like any other business—it has economic imperatives that are related to the bottom line.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of international trade to the Canadian economy, and indeed to the economies of all nations.

We are continuously seeking to enhance responsible trade activities by investing in our international gateways and strategic trade corridors.

We are also deeply committed to practicing an open brand of federalism, one that is inspired by the spirit that gave birth to the Canadian federation and that we have practiced since we formed Canada’s New Government.

This means respecting the provinces’ specific areas of jurisdiction and sharing certain responsibilities efficiently.

Open federalism is a new approach that allows the partners within the Canadian federation to collaborate better in order to carry out certain projects.

I am delighted to see this in action here today.

On behalf of all of the members of the Canadian Trade Mission, I would like to thank the Chargé d’Affaires for welcoming us to the Canadian Ambassador's residence.

We are honoured to be here this evening.

I would also like to thank our guests for agreeing to come and meet with us.

I hope that you will make the most of this fabulous evening.

Thank you.