Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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13. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a report on the activity of the Enterprise Ireland office in Toronto, Canada. [6608/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Through the Agency’s network of 40 international offices, client companies are assisted to increase exports by providing market intelligence and market entry support for their internationalisation strategies. Growing Irish exports into North America, including Canada, is a key strategic focus of Enterprise Ireland. Enterprise Ireland has two offices in Canada, Toronto and Montreal. In that regard, Enterprise Ireland’s office in Toronto opened in October 2006.

Canada, in particular, is an important destination for Irish exports, with €365 million of exports to Canada reported by Enterprise Ireland’s clients in 2019. This represented 7% growth year-on-year, marking Canada as top 10 export market for Irish companies. Key export sectors include Fintech and Services; Education; Digital Technologies; Engineering; Healthcare and Food.

The Toronto office supports Irish companies to expand into the Canadian market, particularly in the following areas.

- Digital Technologies

- Industrial Technologies

- Education services

- Healthcare and Lifesciences

The Toronto office is actively connecting with buyers in the marketplace and linking them to Irish companies in these sectors. These efforts assist in setting up in-market and scaling the Irish companies in the market. As part of this, Enterprise Ireland's Toronto office engages with the Irish diaspora, including by working closely with other Government Departments and Agencies as part of a Team Ireland approach. The Toronto office is also working with companies on their future growth strategies in the Canadian market through the provision of market and business intelligence to assist companies entering or scaling in the region.

During 2021, Enterprise Ireland’s Toronto office is focused on delivering a range of online, virtual events and client engagements to aid Irish companies’ access to Canadian market opportunities.