The Scottish government is seeking to strengthen its economic ties with Canada as it plans to open a new office in Ottawa next month.
According to the Scottish government, the office will serve to “encourage investment between Canadian and Scottish businesses and organisations, promote Scotland as a place to work, study and visit and develop relationships in key policy areas like climate change, equalities and social enterprise.”
Staff at the office will also seek to encourage collaboration in business, research, education and cultural institutions between the two nations.
According to the Scottish government, Canada has been a top 20 export partner for Scotland, with exports in 2016 totalling $1.02 billion. Canada is also one of Scotland’s largest internal investors, with around 3,650 jobs provided by 45 Canadian companies within Scotland.
“This new office will help us strengthen our relationships with Canada, putting a focus on encouraging trade and investment and showcasing Scotland as a great place to work, study and visit,” said external affairs secretary for Scotland, Fiona Hyslop.
“This will be the first time we have had a presence in Canada’s capital city which means our new team will be able to develop closer policy and political links with the Canadian government, business, education and third-sector partners.”
Recently, the Scottish parliament voted against Brexit and the government believes that, despite the uncertainty that Brexit has brought to the UK, Scotland is still a great place to invest.
“In the face of Brexit uncertainty, Scotland continues to be an attractive place to invest and do business,” said Hyslop.
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According to the government, 9,500 Canadians live and work in Scotland with more than 1,000 Canadian students currently enrolled in Scottish universities.
The number of Canadians visiting Scotland increased by 50 per cent in the last year, to more than 149,000 and they spent $217 million.
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