Building business ties with Ireland, year round
Closer commercial links are win-win, Paul Dunne and Lydia Rogers say.
St. Patrick's Day is here again. The beer is black, the shamrocks are green and, after a two-year hiatus, Ste-catherine St. is once again bracing itself for the oldest (and best) parade in North America. This is the week when everyone in Montreal is Irish.
In truth, a lot of us are Irish all year around, too. In the 2016 census, 446,215 people in this province identified themselves as Irish and, according to some estimates, 40 per cent of Québécois can boast an Irish grandparent or great-grandparent. In fact, while the French connection is of course very strong, you could say we are almost as Gaelic as we are Gallic.
And throughout the year, there are groups dedicated to making that Irish-canadian link even stronger, with the benefit being felt on both sides of the Atlantic.
Formed in 1991, the Ireland-canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in Montreal is dedicated to fostering close commercial relations between this city and the island of Ireland, offering support and networking opportunities for Irish companies here through seminars, business lunches, social events and expert lectures.
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish Government's trade and innovation agency, investing in Irish companies through all stages of their growth while connecting them to international customers across multiple industries. Enterprise Ireland runs 40 offices worldwide, including since late 2021, in Place Ville Marie.
There are many reasons for Irish and Canadian businesses to work together. The two countries have many similarities. Both are known for their warm welcome and strong entrepreneurial spirit. Canada's affluent, high-tech industrial society has a can-do attitude extremely similar to Ireland's. We are both also strong in a number of key industries, including digital technologies, financial services and fintech, aviation, construction and engineering, education, life sciences and digital health — the list goes on.
Canada's leaders have worked hard to make the country a favourable environment, resulting in the development of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and Europe, with one of the most comprehensive tariff reduction packages ever achieved in an EU free trade agreement. Since its provisional application in 2017, Irish companies working with the Canadian market have enjoyed the elimination of 98.6 per cent of all Canadian tariff lines, as well as the opening of the Canadian services market to Irish firms. It's win-win.
In recent years, more than 500 Enterprise Ireland clients have been doing business in the Canadian market, employing upward of 6,000 people. This number is growing, and there's room for much, much more. Some Irish enterprises that are successfully doing business in the Quebec market include Multihog (multipurpose snow removal and street sweeping), Sportlomo (sports tech solutions), Keenan, Samco & Prodig (agri-tech and machinery), Combilift (forklifts), Aerogen (health care) and Vybe (e-commerce furniture startup). Keywords Studios (gaming) and Aer Rianta International (airport retail) are Ireland's largest employers in Montreal.
Likewise, Canadian companies have found a natural home in Ireland. IDA Ireland, a sister agency to Enterprise Ireland, has a range of free supports and services for Canadian companies helping them set up offices in Ireland. There are currently 55 Canadian companies with operations there, employing more than 7,000 people. They include Shopify, RBC, TD Bank, Couche Tard, Brookfield Asset Management, Scotiabank, Telus International, SOTI, Lighthouse Studios, Sun Life, Magna International and Greenfield Global. It is interesting to note that Ireland's economy, powering the growth of these companies, has a GDP that is 27 per cent higher than Quebec's, yet with a population 3.5 million less.
Groups like the ICCC and Enterprise Ireland recognize the significant opportunities in Montreal for Irish companies and are dedicated to helping them flourish, thus further strengthening the bonds between our countries. Working together, we look forward to continuing to strengthen Irish/canadian business partnerships in the future, on March 17 and every other day of year.