Governor making economic mission trip to Canada (here’s the itinerary)

Gov. Phil Murphy is heading a delegation of nearly three dozen state officials and leaders from the business and higher education community on an economic mission trip to Canada.

The quick New Jersey-Canada Economic Mission, organized by Choose New Jersey, began with a trip to Ottawa on Saturday with the governor and senior staff. More than two dozen delegates (business and higher education leaders) joined the trip Sunday in Toronto. The trip goes to Montreal on Monday before ending Tuesday night.

State officials said the trip will focus on strengthening New Jersey’s ties with Canada, while cultivating partnerships and international investment opportunities in sectors such as film and technology.

Canada is New Jersey’s No. 1 export market, buying a fifth of all the goods New Jersey sells to the world. The Garden State exports more to Canada than it does to its next two largest foreign markets: China and the U.K.

Murphy, who has made the film industry and fintech sector key priorities, said the trip will offer another chance to show an international audience the benefits of doing business in New Jersey.

The trip began Saturday in Ottawa with meetings with government and business leaders, including a discussion with the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada located there. The trip’s first stop with the complete delegation will be Sunday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. The trip also will include visits to numerous economic development hubs, including JLABS@Toronto, a life science incubator run by New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson.

“Our efforts to bolster New Jersey’s thriving film and fintech industries must extend beyond both state lines and national borders,” Murphy said. “It is only fitting that we deepen our economic ties with Canada while exploring new opportunities to solidify our status as a global leader in these fields.

“I look forward to engaging with Canadian officials and industry leaders to showcase the opportunity that is ripe within our state.”

Murphy has had great success on international trade missions throughout his administration, including visits to Germany, Israel, India and Ireland early in his administration. Last fall, he made a 10-day trip to East Asia, visiting Japan, Korea and Taiwan. (Read ROI-NJ’s exclusive coverage here.)

Choose New Jersey CEO Wes Mathews said the trip to Canada shows the commitment of the state to increase its global ties.

“We are excited to embark on this economic mission to Canada to highlight New Jersey’s value proposition as the best place for businesses and families,” he said. “This mission underscores our commitment to fostering international partnerships and attracting global businesses to our state.”

The economic mission will include meetings with government officials and networking opportunities with industry leaders across a number of sectors, including film and television and technology.

The governor and first lady Tammy Murphy will head the delegation, joined by Mathews, New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan and a host of business and higher education leaders as well as elected officials. (See the complete list here.)

A quick look at the agenda is below:

Saturday

• Governor and senior officials meet with officials in Ottawa

Sunday

• Delegates take morning flight from Newark to Toronto
• Trip opening lunch (at Earl’s Kitchen + Bar)
• New Jersey reception at Toronto International Film Festival
• World premiere screening at film festival: “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band”

Monday

• Country briefing with official from U.S. Consul General office
• Event at JLabs@Toronto, Johnson & Johnson’s life science incubator located at MaRS Discovery District
• Visit to Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence
• Roundtable with American Chamber of Commerce members
• Flight from Toronto to Montreal

Tuesday

• Keynote opening speech at FinTech Forum by Finance Montreal
• New Jersey Single Location Promotion Roundtable, hosted by U.S. Consul General Robert Sanders
• Memorandum of Understanding signing between BioNJ and BioQuebec
• Roundtable with Innovobot, an investment platform firm
• Roundtable with IVADO, a software company that supports AI initiatives
• Closing dinner (at Le Mount Stephen)
• Governor and first lady return to New Jersey

Wednesday

• Delegates return on morning flight from Montreal to Newark

Read the article here.