Saskatchewan’s International Efforts Continue to Show Results

Released on July 20, 2023

Through the province's international engagement efforts including missions abroad, the network of nine international offices, and welcoming incoming delegations to Saskatchewan, government officials and Saskatchewan businesses have been able to strengthen relationships in many jurisdictions around the world.

"International missions provide an opportunity to showcase Saskatchewan's strong and sustainable initiatives, as well as increase trade in the province's key areas like agriculture and natural resources," Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison said. "Along with our work on international missions, we've seen more than 45 incoming commercial and diplomatic delegations in the first half of 2023, with many more on the horizon. These delegations are from countries that are excited to learn more about what Saskatchewan has to offer, and potentially invest in our province."

In April, an incoming mission from the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JOIN) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Government of Saskatchewan. The MOC encourages collaboration on how JOIN can support infrastructure investment with a focus on sector priorities that include helium development. It's also an opportunity to showcase the province's global leadership in sustainable mining practices. This agreement was a direct result of Minister Harrison's mission to Japan in February 2023. 

The provincial growth plan calls for increasing the number of markets where Saskatchewan exports over $1 billion. Japan has been a key partner in achieving this goal as it is one of the province's largest export markets. Last year, over $1.2 billion in goods was exported to the country, the majority being agri-food products.

In May, Saskatchewan opened its ninth international office in Germany, which is the fourth largest economy in the world. The office will serve as a gateway to the European Union. 

During Saskatchewan's recent mission to Germany, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP), the University of Saskatchewan and its Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) joined Minister Harrison on high-level meetings with the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, BASF, Bayer, BioNTech, BDI, VDMA and K+S. The discussions explored opportunities with German and EU buyers looking for high quality food ingredients as well as research and development opportunities, particularly in the biotech space.

"Being a part of the Germany mission allowed us the chance to connect with industry and academic partners and have meaningful conversations about the ground-breaking research happening at the University of Saskatchewan in areas of international importance, like pandemic preparedness, critical minerals, and food security," Baljit Singh, Vice President Research with the University of Saskatchewan said. "The Saskatchewan Germany trade office will be a great resource for USask as we continue to develop our student mobility strategy and other key relationships with our German university partners."

"These missions are key in helping to expand VIDO's global outreach and engagement," Dr. Paul Hodgson, VIDO's Director of Operations said. "Germany is a country at the forefront of infectious disease research and vaccine innovation, and partnerships in this region are vital for VIDO to build international collaboration and ultimately drive investments into Saskatchewan."

Saskatchewan's merchandise exports to the European Union (EU) increased by nearly 47 per cent from $1.8 billion in 2021 to $2.6 billion in 2022. Last year, the top three export products to the EU were potash ($760.4 million), wheat ($587.5 million), and uranium ($409.2 million).

With more than one in six jobs in Saskatchewan tied directly to international exports, the province is committed to supporting a strong and growing economy by focusing on increasing trade and investment opportunities.

Saskatchewan continues to be a leader in economic growth across Canada. The province led the nation in GDP growth last year at 5.7 per cent and is projected by the Conference Board of Canada to see strong provincial GDP growth of 2.5 per cent in 2023, and 1.9 per cent in 2024.

Saskatchewan's economy is primarily export based, with the United States being the province's largest export market. Since 2018, exports have increased by 74 per cent to an all-time high of $29.3 billion in 2022, while Saskatchewan exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region totaled $2.9 billion in 2022, a 91.3 per cent increase from 2021. 

Provincial exports to Mexico exceeded $1 billion for the first time, contributing to Saskatchewan's Growth Plan target to increase markets where Saskatchewan exports more than $1 billion. Saskatchewan now exports more than $1 billion to 10 markets (Brazil, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), India, Bangladesh, ASEAN, Japan, China, EU, US, and Mexico).

To learn more about Saskatchewan's international strategy please visit, https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/investment-and-economic-development

For a full list of Saskatchewan's recent international outcomes, please see the attached backgrounder.