Remarks by U.S. Consul General John R. Nay

Welcome Remarks by U.S. Consul General John R. Nay to the South Carolina Mission to Canada - Royal York Hotel

07 July, 2008

Good morning and thank you Andre for inviting me to join you this morning.

Let me welcome the South Carolina delegation to Toronto and to our Canadian guests who have taken the time to meet the delegation. I’ll keep my comments brief as we all look forward to hearing from Mark Hammond, South Carolina’s Secretary of State.

The Ambassador regrets he can’t be here with you, but I just saw him on Friday and he is looking forward to joining you in Montreal. He has a very active, full schedule, and is always mindful of promoting American business and U.S./Canada trade and is particularly happy to meet fellow South Carolinians. Speaking of South Carolinians, I noticed that in last night’s Yankee/Red Sox game it was a South Carolinian who drove in the winning run in the 10th inning and was selected Player of the Game. Of course that combination of words seemed a little anomalous – “South Carolinian Yankee…?”

You’ve chosen a great time to visit Canada. Its economy is strong and the links between our two countries continue to grow. I know some members of the delegation are here to meet Canadian colleges and universities to discuss faculty and student exchanges. We work closely with Ontario’s colleges and universities on consular issues and speakers’ programs and have found them extremely interested in these exchanges.

For those delegation members meeting with city officials, you should know that a number of our sections in the Consulate, especially our law enforcement agencies and our political and economic section, have excellent working relationships with their counterparts. If we can do anything to assist you, please let me know.

I know that the delegation is traveling on Wednesday to Montreal, where Ambassador David Wilkins, a South Carolinian, will join you. But I don’t want you to leave Toronto without a little knowledge about Ontario and our consulate.

Consulate Toronto is the largest non-immigrant visa processing post in Canada, handling some 60,000 applications annually. That is in addition to assisting the quarter of a million American citizens who live in Ontario. Most the employees at the Consulate work for the State Department. However, the Consulate family also includes representatives from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, and Homeland Security. All of us work closely with our provincial and national counterparts on matters of mutual interest.

The economic ties between the U.S. and Canada are deep and mutual: the U.S. is the largest foreign investor in Canada, while Canada is the fifth largest investor in the U.S. In 2007, Canada invested more money in the U.S. than any other country.

Canada’s economic engine is the province of Ontario. Ontario is the center for Canada’s automotive, mining, financial services, media, plastics, food products, tourism, and information technology sectors.

Ontario is heavily reliant on trade with the United States. More than 40% of Ontario's GDP depends on bilateral trade; nearly 90% of Ontario's total exports go to the U.S. Well over 30 US states—including South Carolina—count Canada as their most important trading partners.

Canada bought 23% of South Carolina’s worldwide exports in 2006, making it South Carolina’s most important foreign market. This $4.8 billion in trade between the two worked out to South Carolina’s benefit, too: South Carolina imported $2 billion worth of goods from Canada, but exported $2.8 billion in merchandise to Canada. And it seems like Canadians can’t get enough of South Carolina: in 2006, Canadians made over 450,000 visits to you in 2006, and spent $224 million.

To keep goods and people flowing between Canada and South Carolina—as well as the other 49 states—we at the Consulate spend a lot of time working on border issues. More than 20 of the 135 border crossings between our two countries are in Ontario.

As a result, the border— making it work and keeping it secure—is a top priority.

Working closely with their Canadian counterparts, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has established trusted shipper and trusted traveler programs that speed the movement of goods and people across the border. The new programs help business by increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness while also increasing security at international bridges and ports like Charleston.

So, again, on behalf of the United States Consulate General in Toronto, welcome to Ontario. I hope your stay is pleasant and productive.

Thank you.