Canadian trade delegation to travel to Myanmar
July 25, 2012 - 12:59 PM
TORONTO - A delegation of Canadian business leaders and International Trade Minister Ed Fast will be travelling to Myanmar in September.
Fast says it will help open doors for trade and investment in the strategically placed southeast Asian country and that he is committed to helping Myanmar on its path to reform and modernization.
Fast participated in a roundtable meeting today with numerous Canadian firms who he says are "eager" to do business in the country formerly known as Burma.
The firms at the meeting included Research In Motion (TSX:RIM), SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC), Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B), the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Heenan Blaikie law firm.
A recent Amnesty International report noted ethnic violence is occurring against minority Muslim groups along the country's borders.
Fast says Myanmar still has a long way to go on its human rights record, but that "significant progress" is being made and engagement with its government is the way to move that progress forward.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012