Club Las Americas is
an initiative of The Ontario
Club, created to provide an elegant and exclusive home for business, social and
cultural leaders from South and Central America, and the Caribbean, and provide them with
valuable opportunities for investment and growth.
Consulates, Trade Missions, Chambers of Commerce, universities, and professional
organizations throughout The Americas have joined with Club Las Americas in promoting The
Americas' rich culture and growing economic importance.
The wide range of activities Club Las Americas offers will give our members the
opportunity to develop business relations, acquire a better understanding of The Americas'
culture as well as significantly increase their own networking opportunities.
Located in the heart of Toronto's business district, Club Las Americas offers a unique
venue for business and cultural events, all in the elegant surroundings of an exclusive
private club.
Club Las Americas' events and
activities fall into three different areas:
Economic Development
Club Las Americas presents activities designed to assist and stimulate the expansion of
your business throughout The Americas. It is an excellent opportunity for South and
Central American and Caribbean businesses to make valuable contacts and explore new
business opportunities in the North American Market.
Cultural
Club Las Americas offers activities to create an awareness of The Americas' culture as
well as provide an education venue to promote an understanding of The Americas' different
backgrounds.
Social
Club Las Americas hosts a wide range of social events, and serves as a focal point in
Canada for the South and Central American and Caribbean communities to meet.
Remarks of
Previous Events
Presentation
of The Honorable Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of International Trade
On Tuesday, May 20, 2003 ,
Minister Pettigrew spoke about the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and Canada's
role in the region.
"Socially we were close to the
Continental European way of thinking things through in Canada. So we saw ourselves as sort
of midway between Europe and North America and quite comfortable with that identity.
That has changed very, very much. We are now quite well aware and satisfied of being North
Americans and of assuming our place in the Americas. What gives me great satisfaction in
the various meetings that we have with people from the Latin American countries is how
much they appreciate Canada's contribution since we have joined in 1989 the Organization
of American States."
Presentation
of Dr. Robert Funk PhD. Economy and Political Science LSE, London School of Economics
On Thursday, June 26,
2003, Dr. Funk delivered a presentation in the event organized by The Canadian Chilean
Professional Association. Dr. Funk spoke about Canada's economical and
political relation in the region.
"Canada is well placed to lead
the Americas on free trade, to advise on dealing with the Americans, to encourage the
development of regional integration without descent into subregional groupings, as seems
to be the current trend."
"Moreover, Canada desperately needs to diversify its client base. Right now, 85% of
our exports go to the US. This has created not only trade dependency but also policy
dependency. It is extremely difficult for the Canadian government to resist American
policy on defense and security, border issues, immigration, and trade, because everyone is
terrified that we’ll be cut off from our primary market. Some, like the CD Howe
Institute here in Toronto, have suggested that the answer lies in realigning our foreign
policy towards that of the United States.[8]
I suggest that another option is that we continue to seek and integrate with foreign
markets. Like Chile, we have a small domestic market in global terms. We must trade
internationally, and we must reduce our dependency on the US in the same way that Chile
has successfully reduced its dependency on copper, and for the same reasons. This does not
mean, incidentally, that the Government of Canada needs to adopt an overtly antagonistic
stance vis-à-vis the United States – only this week the CBC released a poll
indicating that 81% of Canadians asked have a favorable view of the US. But it does mean
that Canada must be far more active than it has been in promoting – prioritizing
– trade with the world outside of the US, including Latin America.
So that is where I think there is a bit of a gap. Yes, the diplomats of the Department of
Foreign Affairs do their bit on the Americas, FTAA and the OAS. Sure the Minister of
International Trade speaks Spanish and is a keen supporter of trade in the Americas. But
until the expansion of trade is viewed as a strategic choice aimed not only at expanding
trade but also at expanding our policy options in many other areas, then we will continue
to be focused and dominated by American concerns.
At the same time, Canada is in a unique position to serve as a bridge between its friends
in the South and the United States. We carry none of the baggage of American imperialism,
yet we probably understand the Americans better than most. And we have a great deal of
experience in balancing national interests (and nationalist sentiment) with trade and
commerce. However, our recent posturing vis-á-vis the United States does nothing to
strengthen our position as an honest broker between Latin America and the US."
[8] Bill Dymond & Michael Hart: “Canada and the Global
Challenge: Finding a Place to Stand”, CD Howe Institute, March 2003.
Please see our calendar
of upcoming events.
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