Ambassador Taffuri in conversation with representatives of over 50 companies (ANSA) Organized by the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency in Toronto, the annual edition of the Canada-wide Sistema Italia Meeting took place, with the online participation of over 50 Italian companies operating in Canada.
The event opened with remarks by Ambassador Claudio Taffuri who expressed the support of Italian institutions to the entrepreneurs who are continuing to pursue their goals and face the current market challenges determined by the pandemic crisis.
"I want to re-iterate that our network is here for you, as a reference point and for operational support. Thanks to the measures put in place by the Italian government in response to the Covid-19 emergency - added the Ambassador - we have new tools that we can help you take advantage of, tools that some of you have in fact already used with success. Ambassador Taffuri also highlighted the network's achievements in Canada over the past few years, and the resulting consolidation of a system that delivers a dynamic, capable, and credible Italy: "It is a heritage that is ours to defend, especially at a difficult time such as this, and it requires maximum synergy between the public and private sectors."
Following a +5.5% growth in exports in 2019, 2020 was off to a strong start (+8 in the first two months of the year.) With the pandemic, Canada experienced an overall market contraction, but "Made in Italy" proved very resilient: registering a drop of -8.6% in the first 9 months of the year, especially significant when compared to Canada's other major trading partners (France -28%, Germany -13%, USA -15%, Mexico -22%.)
