Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he is taking to develop bilateral relations with Canada, especially in the context of historical and cultural links. [56953/25]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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My question concerns the importance of strengthening Ireland’s bilateral relations with Canada, a country with which we share deep historical and cultural roots.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and Canada enjoy a strong relationship based on a common history and a shared commitment to democracy, human rights and a rules-based international order. I am pleased to say there have been a number of positive developments in this relationship in recent months, including the visit by the Taoiseach to meet with Prime Minister Carney in Ottawa last month. Both reaffirmed the enduring friendship between our two countries, our commitment to deepening economic ties and the importance of Ireland’s full ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement by 2026. This is very important. It will be interesting to see, but I hope all Members across this House support the passage of this deal. It is very important, not just for the deal in and of itself but also for the message it sends out about this country and the values we have in relation to trade. If we cannot do free trade with Canada, what better nation could be find to do free trade with?

In August, I had the opportunity to speak with the new Canadian Foreign Minister, Anita Anand, on a number of international issues and trade relations, including the Government’s commitment to ratifying CETA. As the Deputy will know, CETA has already been provisionally applied by the EU and Canada since September 2017 and has contributed to a significant increase in Ireland’s bilateral trade in goods and services with Canada. That trade increased from about €3.2 billion in 2016 to more than €10 billion in 2023. My Department is continuing to work with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and legal advisers on the drafting of the arbitration (amendment) Bill 2025. I expect to be in a position to publish the Bill in the coming weeks.

A new report on deepening trade and investment between Ireland and Canada shows that Ireland is now the tenth largest investor in Canada, and Canadian investment in Ireland is up 131% since 2016. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will lead a trade mission to Canada next month to further develop these economic opportunities.

Of course, the relationship is not just trade. Supporting the Irish diaspora in Canada and promoting Irish cultural links continue to be priorities for the Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, emphasised this in his meetings with a number of diaspora organisations during his visit to Toronto last month. A landmark cultural initiative, Canada-Ireland 180, will be held in 2027 to mark 180 years since the Famine migration of 1847.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is very positive to hear that all that work is ongoing. County Louth has a unique connection. Carlingford is the birthplace of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the founding fathers of the Canadian Confederation, which leaves a legacy of democracy in the shaping of modern Canada. In more recent times, the library in DKIT was named after General John de Chastelain in honour of his vital role in the peace process and the leadership of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. I ask the Department to explore targeted funding and partnership initiatives to deepen Irish Canadian links, cultural and heritage products, academic exchanges and collaborations that will bring our communities closer together, particularly in County Louth.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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That is a great idea and a very constructive suggestion. There will be a number of opportunities where we can try to constructively explore this. One would be the fact that the Taoiseach has invited the Canadian Prime Minister to visit Ireland next year. I am delighted to hear that the Prime Minister has agreed, so we will have Prime Minister Carney here. I will let Deputy McGreehan ask the Taoiseach if he can come to County Louth.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am sure he will be delighted to. The Deputy brought President Biden there so why not Prime Minister Carney?

As the Deputy can imagine, we will want that visit to have a legacy, and that legacy has to be based on opportunities to deepen ties. The de Chastelain link is one we are very proud of. I had the honour of meeting that man, who was an incredible individual. The Deputy is right to highlight the people-to-people links and educational links. Let us certainly explore that. I would be happy to work with the Deputy on how we can develop proposals in the education space that we could consider for the next stage of the development of Ireland-Canada relations.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It is great to hear that Prime Minister Carney is coming to Ireland. We will absolutely open the céad mile fáilte to him. A predecessor of his, Brian Mulroney, was in Carlingford to open the Thomas D’Arcy McGee memorial. We are always welcoming our Canadian and American friends in County Louth.

As the Tánaiste knows, investment would honour that shared past and create new opportunities in education, research and innovation, which are areas where Ireland and Canada share real common strengths and values. I look forward to engaging with the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and the Department in relation to how we can develop bilateral and cultural relations and support the direction of funds towards County Louth.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I very much welcome the question raised on the historical and the cultural aspects. There are also trade aspects and how the State focused on trade with the US over the past 35 or 40 years. The Government now needs to focus on Canada and how it can get Canada to invest more here because of its access to the European market, but likewise so that we can export to Canada. We have already got that link as well with our third level institutions in that quite a number of students from Canada are studying in our third level institutions. We should also use that to strengthen our connections with the Canadian authorities.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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A delegation from the foreign affairs and trade committee is going to Canada in early December. I welcome the new ambassador. Deputy McGreehan is convener of the Canada-Ireland Inter-Parliamentary Friendship group, and hence her particular interest in it. There is some resistance to waiving pre-legislative scrutiny on the CETA agreement from some quarters in the House. There is a little bit of romantic notion about where Ireland is in the world in some quarters and maybe there needs to be a more realistic appreciation of where Ireland needs to be. Prime Minister Carney from his time as Governor of the Bank of England seems to have huge understanding and is well informed about this country.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I agree. Prime Minister Carney is a friend of Ireland. Canada and Ireland are friends. We need to work together. I am delighted to hear of the friendship group and Deputy's McGreehan's chairpersonship of that. I am delighted that hear from Deputy Lahart of the foreign affair committee's visit to Canada. They can perhaps drop off the invite to County Louth while they are there. I agree with Deputy Burke about that whole issue of trade. That is why we have published the action plan on market diversification. We want to continue to trade and grow and develop further our trade links with the United States, but we also want to look to new markets and opportunities. Canada is not a new market, but we have already seen since CETA has come in how the level of trade in goods and services between Ireland and Canada and Canada and Ireland has gone in the right direction. There is huge potential. We are just scratching the surface of the full potential of that relationship.

The point is right that we do not have enough discussion - if the Deputies do not mind me saying so - in this House about trade and the economy. We have loads of discussions about how to spend the money. That is not unimportant, but we never have enough discussions about how to generate it. We are a small open economy. When countries like Canada want to do more business with this country we should be saying, "Thank you very much" and engaging with them constructively. I look forward to when they come in and having that debate.