Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Ireland's Trade Relationship with Canada: Discussion

Mr. Jonathan O'Hara:

On Deputy O'Reilly's question regarding helping SMEs export to Canada, this is something that is near and dear to my heart because I help companies do business with Canada daily. Many SMEs think it is very daunting to export. At least to Canada, in the majority of sectors, it is really not that hard. If you find someone who knows how to do it, you can facilitate it relatively easily. It gets more complicated if you are talking about defence products, foods or pharmaceuticals, but for the vast majority of sectors, it is not that hard. It should not be that daunting. There is an opportunity to get that word out, particularly given the trade agreements between the EU and Canada. It is not that hard.