CIIT meeting 36 · 2026-05-05 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) met on May 5, 2026, to study Canada’s trade diversification and internal trade, hearing from Hamid Fadili, an international trade advisor appearing as an individual; Souad Elmallem, President and CEO of 6temik; Ruth Vachon, President of the Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec; Carl Viel, President and CEO of Québec International; and René Roy, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council.

Hamid Fadili argued that Canada is under-represented in North and West Africa, a market of 600 million people with rapid growth, and recommended a clear, coordinated strategy for Africa, including establishing a transatlantic economic corridor, speeding up economic agreements, and prioritizing stable countries with strong potential. He noted that Canada exports only $6-8 billion annually to Africa, far less than China or the European Union.

Souad Elmallem emphasized Morocco as a strategic gateway to Africa due to its infrastructure, free trade agreements, and Atlantic ports, and urged Canada to build a strategic relationship with the region, particularly in agri-food, technology, and renewable energy. She disagreed with the perception of aggressive competition in Africa, stating that risk is manageable and that Canada must focus on opportunities rather than risks.

Ruth Vachon highlighted the potential for women-owned small businesses in Canada to trade with women entrepreneurs in West and North Africa, particularly in the service and agri-food sectors, and recommended tailoring government programs to small businesses and expanding the Maïa platform internationally. She stressed that trade commissioners should better serve multisectoral small businesses and that economic decisions should include women.

Carl Viel argued that Canada must shift from a north-south to an east-west business culture to strengthen internal trade, and recommended reducing non-tariff barriers, harmonizing standards, and supporting businesses through trade missions and networking. He noted that data on interprovincial trade is often two years behind, hindering effective support.

René Roy stated that the pork sector already has effective interprovincial trade through federally inspected plants, which handle 94% of production, and opposed any move to deem provincially inspected meat as equivalent for interprovincial trade, warning it could undermine food safety and international confidence. He recommended preserving federal inspection requirements for interprovincial trade and supporting provincial plants in upgrading to federal standards, citing Northern Farms as an example of a plant struggling to transition.

The committee also debated a motion from Steeve Lavoie regarding Export Development Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Canadian Commercial Corporation, and Invest in Canada, which was discussed but not voted on before the meeting ended.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 5

Hamid Fadili

International Trade advisor, Europe and Africa markets, As an Individual

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, honourable members. Let me introduce myself. My name is Hamid Fadili. I am an international trade adviser for a provincial economic development agency. I am here today as an individual to provide evidence on a very important topic, and a major economic issue for Canada. The issue is our strategic positioning in the markets of North Africa and West Africa. As you know, honourable members, the world is changing rapidly. Supply chains are become redefined, competition for access to resources is forever intensifying, and new growth centres are emerging. In that context, a key question must be asked: Is Canada sufficiently well positioned in the markets that will make up tomorrow's global economy? This includes the African market and, specifically, the markets of North Africa and West Africa. Those two emerging markets are changing rapidly; they are major consumers. We are talking about 600 million people, with a combined GDP of more than $1,600 billion in Canadian currency and a growth rate between 3% and 6%. West Africa alone is a market of more than 400 million people with some of the fastest economic growth rates in the world, between 5%…

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Souad Elmallem

President and Chief Executive Officer, 6temik

Opening remarks

Ladies and gentlemen, honourable members, it's a great pleasure for me to be with you today. In a rapidly changing world, the successful countries, organizations and companies are those who know how to build bridges, to forge alliances and to think outside of their borders. That is exactly the meaning of the speech that Prime Minister Carney gave in Davos. He saw a clear break and validated it. From now on, the priority is to diversify our economic partnerships, to reduce our vulnerabilities and, in part, to redirect our north-south focus to east and west. Asia and Europe are at the heart of that ambition. But a major region in Canada's immediate vicinity remains underestimated and undervalued. This is the South Atlantic, which includes the countries with Atlantic shores in both South America and North and West Africa. Morocco is an excellent example of the dynamics at play because of its geographic location, its quality infrastructure and its strategic vision. It has made itself into the very gateway to Africa. To give you some figures from the many I could provide, Morocco has among Africa's best-developed networks, with about 50,000 kilometres of paved roads, 2,000 kilometres…

International Trade

Summary

Witnesses · 5

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