International Trade committee  I am not sure I understand the question correctly.

International Trade committee  I can’t speak much about what’s happening in Canada. To my knowledge, Canadian food exports represent added value to our production, which can serve the Canadian market. On the other hand, I can talk about the types of products we sell to Singapore. Singaporeans consume about half of their food in an institutional setting: restaurants or hotels, for example.

International Trade committee  I think it's a bit too early to say. We do know of companies transferring operations here. The COVID situation in Hong Kong means that travelling to and from Hong Kong has been a challenge. That said, in the aerospace sector we're talking about very large investments. I cannot say that I've seen anything saying that operations have been moving in a major way or that the centre of gravity is changing.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, it's difficult for me to look into the future. When we look at the present opportunities, they tend to be, as was mentioned, in the maintenance repair and overhaul business. Whether or not those opportunities will grow because of what's happening in the region, not only in Hong Kong but in the region generally speaking, is difficult for me to say.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, to my knowledge, Singapore is remaining competitive. Now, one element that worries Singapore and Singaporeans is that generally the cost of doing business has increased here. Obviously, if we talk about aerospace, the initial investment is very expensive and very capital intensive.

International Trade committee  It's a good question. I'm not sure there's a single one driving the increase in cost. The fact that Singapore is a pretty small island certainly means that space is at a premium. We've seen real estate prices go up and, of course, the cost of living—as we've seen everywhere around the world—has increased.

International Trade committee  That question that would require further study, Madam Chair. At first glance, most of Canada’s exports to Singapore remain competitive, but not all. Keep in mind that the time difference between Canada and Singapore is exactly 12 hours. I am right on the other side of the world.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, the business climate in Singapore is very good. The only caveat I would say is that this is a very active city and our competitors are also here, so one has to make a pretty good pitch and show that you are willing to come often and to develop the relationships needed to do business.

International Trade committee  We do see more opportunities and more interest, considering the ripples that are happening in the region. Certainly in the financial sector, we see a lot more interest in growing their presence in Singapore. We see it in the agriculture sector as well. The sectors of priority that I named were picked, by and large, because we see growth in them, and what we especially we want to do is to find leads for Canadian companies and see whether they're willing to service them here, and attract them to the region in our effort to diversify trade.

International Trade committee  Our current agriculture representatives or trade commissioners are able to handle such questions with Singapore. I can only talk about Singapore, but with regard to the region, I cannot comment.

International Trade committee  To answer your question very directly, yes, absolutely. It is part of our strategy to have a corporate call program, not only to see what the Singapore companies can purchase from us but also what type of arrangement we can have with them. In infrastructure, for example, Singapore companies are major investors in the region.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, the answer is yes. Singapore certainly wants to further develop its relationship with Quebec and Canada in the aerospace sector. As a proud Montrealer, I am, of course, always happy to support such efforts. There is already a highly marked Canadian presence here. For example, Bombardier's and Pratt & Whitney's operations are quite extensive.

International Trade committee  No companies have flagged any trade barriers to me. There are still the usual obstacles, namely the inherent costs of doing business and dealing with the distance, especially in terms of crossing the Pacific Ocean. As for trade barriers, none have been brought to my attention at this time.

International Trade committee  Madam Chair, I appreciate the question. With regard to clean-tech opportunities in Singapore, that is an area of focus for us. We help quite a few SMEs penetrate the market. With Singapore being a bit of an early adopter of technologies, we use it as a platform to demonstrate technologies.

International Trade committee  Good afternoon, Madam Chair. Singapore is one of the countries most open to trade in the world. This developed and politically stable country of 5.4 million people serves as a hub for regional trade thanks to its first-class infrastructure. Its city-state is the main regional financial centre.