Industry Minister Tony Clement Carries Canada's Economic Message to the World Economic Forum

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND--(Marketwire - Jan. 28, 2011) - Today, the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, concluded his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During his visit he participated in a panel discussion on the future of global manufacturing and met with political and business leaders from around the globe. The Minister also took the opportunity to highlight the continued strength and resilience of the Canadian economy, underscoring the government's efforts to make Canada a destination of choice for foreign investment.

"The World Economic Forum is an excellent opportunity for the Government of Canada to showcase our success over the past two years and underscore our world-leading investment climate," said Minister Clement. "As the world continues to emerge out of the recession, we are here to say that Canada is open for business."

The Minister participated in a high-profile panel discussion on the state of global manufacturing. He spoke alongside senior government officials, labour representatives and business leaders from the United States, Brazil, Switzerland and India. The discussion focused on the changing global manufacturing industry, and particularly on how it has been affected by the recent economic downturn. During the discussion, the Minister presented what he believed to be some of the broad structural changes that are under way in the global manufacturing industry, what the Canadian government has done to respond, and how Canadian companies have been able to excel despite a stronger currency and vigorous international competition.

During his participation at the World Economic Forum, the Minister also met with senior government officials from a number of Canadian trade partners, including Germany and the United States, and with and senior business representatives from international companies such as Barrick Gold Corporation and Cisco Systems, Inc., among others.