Policy paper

UK-Saskatchewan Action Plan: Promoting Growth, Trade, Investment and Innovation

Published 24 May 2013

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

On May 24th, 2013 at the Saskatoon Cabinet Office, the Premier of Saskatchewan and the Minister for North America for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office met and endorsed this action plan.

The purpose of this Action Plan is to articulate our mutual desire to foster and promote a stronger partnership between the United Kingdom and Saskatchewan while providing specific direction to respective officials on how best to foster mutual economic growth, increased Trade and Investment and further cooperation in the area of Science and Innovation.

Recent actions by our respective governments demonstrate our serious commitment to these important goals. In September of 2012, the United Kingdom opened a new chapter in its relationship with western Canada, with the establishment of a British Consulate General in Calgary. Today’s appointment of an Honorary Consul for Britain to serve in Saskatchewan is further evidence of the United Kingdom’s desire to explore opportunities in Saskatchewan.

In Saskatchewan, page 53 of the Plan for Growth released on the 16th of October 2012 sets out the ambitious goal of doubling Saskatchewan’s export sales by 2020 through

• Strengthening existing trade relationships;
• Supporting businesses as they connect to international markets;
• Adopting a trade and engagement strategy (that) will focus on Saskatchewan’s resource and agricultural strengths and their value-chains, including processing, manufacturing and innovation.

This Action Plan can be seen as the means by which these goals will be met.

The partnership between Saskatchewan and the United Kingdom can also be viewed in the broader context of efforts by the Canadian government to foster increased trade.

This document is consistent with the Joint Declaration signed by the Prime Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom in September 2011, and the Joint Innovation Statement signed by Trade Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom in May 2012.

• We look forward to an ambitious and successful outcome to the negotiation of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) during 2013. We will work together to highlight the benefits of CETA to industry and other stakeholders acting in Saskatchewan and the United Kingdom, highlighting CETA’s aim of stimulating competition, increasing trade, expanding market access and promoting joint investment and innovation.

• Alongside this, we will work together to promote two-way trade and investment between Saskatchewan and the United Kingdom. To help achieve this, the United Kingdom has today appointed for the first time a new British Honorary Consul for the Province of Saskatchewan. The Honorary Consul who will work closely alongside the Government of Saskatchewan, the British Consulate General in Calgary and industry to identify trade and investment opportunities. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) staff at the British Consulate General in Calgary remain committed to making regular visits to Saskatchewan in furtherance of these objectives.

• In line with UK-Canada Joint Innovation Statement, we look forward to developing strong science and innovation partnerships. The United Kingdom’s Canada Science and Innovation Network will work closely with Innovation Saskatchewan, the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan and other stakeholders to facilitate research collaborations and stimulate commercialisation partnerships. This activity will have the further benefit of fostering an entrepreneurial community made up of Saskatchewan and United Kingdom business that can drive economic growth and address global challenges.

• We will offer Saskatchewan graduate and post-graduate students opportunities to engage with visiting senior British officials, by expanding the “Knowledge is GREAT” project active in Alberta, and we will identify opportunities to bring the two groups together to foster inter-Provincial student dialogues between Saskatchewan and Alberta. We will also explore opportunities to promote youth mobility between the UK and Saskatchewan, in line with the UK-Canada Joint Declaration, via targeted scholarship projects;

• We look forward to strengthening further the productive and mutually beneficial relationships and knowledge sharing cooperation between key stakeholders in Saskatchewan and the United Kingdom on Carbon Capture and Storage. We will do so by supporting and deepening cooperation between the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, SaskPower, and the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre, and other strategic partners.

• We look forward to our Governments maintaining regular official level dialogue on energy and climate security issues of mutual interest. Strengthening our Partnership for Results

We commit ourselves to achieve what we have set out in this Action Plan, and we ask senior officials in our respective Governments to meet on a six monthly basis, to review and report on progress, and to renew objectives for deepening the relationship. This will thus remain a living document, responsive to evolving events, challenges and opportunities. Endorsed in Regina this 24th day of May, 2013.

Honourable Premier Brad Wall Alistair Burt MP, Minister for North America