Another economic mission from Canada is headed to Israel, after the Finance Minister of the province of British Columbia, Michael de Jong, announced he will lead such a mission between November 13 and 16.
Jason Murray, Chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) – Pacific Region, welcomed de Jong’s announcement.
“CIJA is delighted by the Government of British Columbia’s initiative to lead a delegation to Israel composed of BC entrepreneurs and professionals involved in life sciences and cybersecurity. This trade mission will assist in cementing existing relationships, creating new partnerships, and promoting opportunities in the province by deepening the economic, cultural, and academic ties between Israel and BC,” he said.
“This trade mission has the potential to create new high-value jobs in BC by enabling our leading minds to partner with those in the ‘Start-up Nation.’ Israel is a world leader in science and technology, particularly in the fields of medicine, the environment, and internet security. Together, British Columbian and Israeli companies can grow our economies while developing products to tackle the some of the more difficult challenges facing the world today.
“CIJA is pleased to support the BC trade mission to Israel and the ever-growing relationship between Israeli and BC businesses. CIJA has contributed to the success of several economic missions to Israel and offers Mr. de Jong our continued assistance to ensure this mission delivers exceptional results for the people of BC.”
The announcement of the mission from British Columbia follows an announcement by Toronto Mayor John Tory and Montreal Dennis Coderre, who will head a business technology mission to Israel around the same time, between November 12 and 19.
Tory and Coderre’s mission will visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Be’er Sheva, with Mayor Tory planning to meet with the mayors of each of those five cities.
The delegation will visit Israeli companies including Aleph, Google, IBM and WeWork, and incubators and accelerators such as The Floor, Cyberspark, Technion, the Barclay’s Accelerator, MassChallenge and the Library Tel Aviv.
Canada's Governor-General was in Israel recently as well, where he met Israeli leaders in an effort to enhance bilateral relations.