More than 300 representatives of Italian and Canadian companies, institutions and business associations gathered on October 29 at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto for the Italy-Canada Business Forum, organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The event aimed to strengthen bilateral economic relations, foster new industrial partnerships and promote trade and investment opportunities in strategic sectors.
The Forum was opened by the Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, who highlighted the particularly promising moment in bilateral trade and industrial cooperation, noting the potential offered by the complementarity of the two production systems in a context in which Canada aims to strengthen its strategic autonomy and Italy is positioning itself as a privileged partner in key sectors such as energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure and advanced mechanical engineering. The Ambassador also highlighted how the broad participation of companies and institutions from both countries confirms the strength of the bilateral partnership, making the Forum an important opportunity to develop new synergies.
This was followed by remarks from the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, attending on behalf of Minister Tajani. She reaffirmed Canada’s central role in Italy’s growth diplomacy strategy, reiterating Italy’s commitment to the concrete implementation of the Italy-Canada Action Plan for Enhanced Cooperation and the subsequent Joint Declaration adopted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Undersecretary Tripodi also emphasized the complementary nature of the bilateral and European dimensions of the Italian-Canadian partnership, particularly in light of the concurrent EU-Canada Summit in Montréal, noting the role of businesses in strengthening mutual investments and building long-term industrial partnerships.
Also in attendance were the Director General of the Italian Trade Agency, Lorenzo Galanti; the National Director of Armaments, Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani; and representatives of the leading economic institutions and business associations of both countries. Numerous Canadian political representatives were also present, including the Canadian Secretary of State for Labour, Hon. John Zerucelli; the Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of Industry, Hon. Karim Bardeesy; and the Ontario Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. David Piccini.
Proceedings continued in the afternoon with three thematic sessions dedicated to the priority sectors of bilateral economic cooperation – advanced industry; energy, critical minerals and infrastructure; defence, aerospace and cybersecurity – involving representatives of major Italian and Canadian companies and industry associations. A central role was given to the more than 200 B2B meetings, which made it possible to establish new contacts and explore future opportunities for joint projects. The event was further enriched by networking opportunities and additional business initiatives organized on the sidelines of the Forum on October 28 and 30.
The initiative is part of a phase of renewed momentum in economic relations between Italy and Canada, characterized by a shared commitment to diversifying markets, strengthening the resilience of supply chains and developing synergies in strategic and high-technology sectors.
