Canadian businessmen are keen on investing in the Kingdom, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Governor Amr Al-Dabbagh said, after a 4-day trip to Canada that began in Vancouver. “We had 14 meetings in Montreal alone in just one day, the interest from Canada is so strong,” said Governor Al-Dabbagh. “Canada shares some of the same competitive advantages in energy and natural resources as the Kingdom, and is investing heavily in the development of an intellectual base to cater to those industries.” Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations, with a GDP of approximately $1.5 trillion and a GDP per capita as high as $38,000, according to some economic reports. The government is actively expanding its foreign investment base and is looking beyond its traditional partner, the US, to markets that share the same synergies. The Kingdom is one of these. While in Canada, Al-Dabbagh met with many notable Canadian leaders, including the minister of Economic Development & Trade for Ontario, the minister of Trade for Ottawa, the president of the Mining Association of Canada, the president of Canadian Fertilizer Institute, and Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of Canada, among others. “We try to ensure a good spread of both public and private sector meetings and always within the grip of our strategic interests of energy, transportation and KBIs,” said the SAGIA governor. “Canada's economy is driven by highly educated people and the business climate is fuelled by R&D and supported by business-friendly policies. Their clusters of excellence attract the next generation of innovation and exceptional strengths in the same key industries that we are building in KSA.” In the chemical sector, for instance, one of SAGIA's strategic sectors, Canada has more than two thousand firms, more than 82 thousand workers and has exports of approximately $30 billion every year. They also have established clusters of excellence in at least three provinces. In the plastics sector, another of SAGIA's strategic sectors, Canada has almost three thousand firms, with a 130,00 employees, and exports of over $18 billion.
