ARIZONA – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development Mary Ng have announced the creation of a new Canadian trade office in Arizona.
Foreign Affairs Canada will open a new trade office in Arizona, which will strengthen the bilateral relationship between Arizona and Canada by increasing opportunities for collaboration in trade, economic development and foreign direct investment (FDI).
Governor Hobbs and Minister Ng were joined by Zaib Shaikh, Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles; Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority; Glenn Williamson, CEO of the Canada-Arizona Business Council; government representatives, industry and community leaders.
“The new trade office represents an important step forward in the collaboration between Arizona and Canada,” said Governor Katie Hobbs.
According to Hobbs, Canada is one of Arizona’s strongest trading partners, so the new trade office will serve as a hub to promote trade and investment, while fostering economic growth and creating new opportunities for cross-border collaboration.
From 2018 to 2023, there were at least 20 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects from Canada in Arizona, the most of any country. These projects accounted for US$1.59 billion in capital investment and 2,677 projected new jobs.
Canadian companies with a presence in Arizona include XNRGY, which recently broke ground on its US$300 million manufacturing plant and U.S. headquarters in Mesa, creating more than 900 new jobs, and Li-Cycle, which opened its lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Gilbert in 2022.
In 2023, total trade between Arizona and Canada exceeded US$5.3 billion. Arizona companies exported US$2.7 billion worth of goods to Canada, Arizona’s second largest export market, and imported US$2.6 billion worth of goods from Canada.
