Ministers, truckers overseas to promote Atlantic Gateway
NEW DELHI, India — New Brunswick Transportation Minister Denis Landry is one of several Atlantic politicians and business stakeholders looking at how the Atlantic region can capitalize on one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Landry is overseas visiting India this week in an effort to promote Canada’s Atlantic Gateway strategy for Indian shippers, business leaders, and key government representatives.
“The Atlantic Gateway is key for New Brunswick in its ongoing pursuit to be self-sufficient by 2026,” Landry said. “As part of this effort, New Brunswick is partnering with the federal government and the private sector to improve its transportation network and update its policies. During the trade mission to India, New Brunswick will be working with the private sector to bring this message to India’s shippers and business leaders.”
Landry is joining Peter MacKay, minister of national defence and minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) on the five-day mission.
Other participants include provincial ministers from the three other Atlantic Provinces and private-sector delegates representing airports, ports, railways, trucking, and transportation-related associations active in the region.
Included among them are Wes Armour, president and CEO, Armour Transportation; John Murphy, vice-president of transportation, J.D. Irving Ltd; Ron Tepper, president and CEO of Consolidated FastFrate; and Doug Hayden-Luck, sales director, international intermodal, for CN Rail.
The group will spend time in both New Delhi and Mumbai.
region is poised to lead global trade in the next century.
The meetings part of the mission will highlight the Atlantic Gateway’s geographic advantages, reliability, efficiency and intermodal connections to major North American markets.
In New Delhi, the group will visit the Concor Inland Container Depot, Asia’s largest inland container terminal. In Mumbai they will tour the Nhava Sheva International Container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai.
“The development of Canada’s Gateways and Trade Corridors is part of our government’s commitment to facilitating international trade and increasing our national competitiveness by linking North America to the world,” MacKay said. “This mission demonstrates our government’s continuing partnership with the four Atlantic provinces to develop the Atlantic Gateway initiative.”
The Atlantic Gateway is a key part of the strategy to connect Canada and North America with the rest of the world, said federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon. “We consider India to be a priority market, and this mission will provide Canadian businesses with the chance to develop and strengthen commercial ties with their Indian counterparts.”
The mission is the first joint action being delivered under a memorandum of understanding signed by Transport Canada, ACOA, and the four provincial governments in October 2007.
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