Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Friday, November 18, 2011

It is a pleasure to speak to a room full of people who understand the importance of collaboration in business.

Canada and Vietnam have a long history of collaboration, dating back nearly 40 years. The Canadian International Development Agency in particular has invested in Vietnam’s future, leading to new techniques to improve its innovation and business sectors, and the creation of opportunities for the Vietnamese people to build sustainable ventures for themselves, their families and their country. In turn, Canada has benefited from increased trade and the exchange of ideas.

Just yesterday, I visited the Yen Mi cooperative in Hanoi, where I saw the progress being made with regard to improving food quality and safety, which then creates healthier families as well as better business for all those involved. The success of this project would not have been possible without the dedication of both our countries, working in tandem towards a specific goal.

The members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam working with our trade commissioners in country have been promoting such partnerships for years, because they know that we can achieve greater success together than we can on our own.

The example of Yen Mi is a good one, because it illustrates another point that businesses must know. Success is rooted in the utilization of the resources and knowledge available, as well as the sharing of good practices and lessons along the way. Time and again, I have seen communities and businesses revitalize themselves through the use of local talent. Allow me to give you a Canadian example of this:

Provincial Aerospace Limited, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, has grown from its origins as a small flight school to being a world leader in maritime and airborne surveillance. The company now employs 800 people, sells to 30 countries and has operating bases in the Caribbean and the Middle East.

Again, success is rooted in local strengths and global demand. In this case, Provincial Aerospace built upon its hard-won expertise in flying and navigating in difficult Maritime weather conditions to develop leading-edge aerospace engineering. The local know-how was the basis for a global service, with the value added by innovation.

And this brings us to the importance of innovating. Just looking at Ho Chi Minh City, we see how much emphasis Vietnam places on innovation. As a centre of business, and specifically of high tech, the city stands as a reminder of what innovation can accomplish.

Both of our countries understand that businesses thrive on new ideas, but innovation is not new; indeed, it is as old as humanity itself. What is new and unprecedented is the speed and scale of change in the world today.

We live in an era of profound globalization, where the frontiers of knowledge have eclipsed those of land and sea as the outermost reaches of human endeavour. Far from abstract, these knowledge frontiers represent a new paradigm, where our quality of life will be determined by our ability to think creatively and to solve problems. Simply put, our well-being will hinge upon our ability to innovate.

I am reminded of the words of Ken Dryden who, in his book Becoming Canada, wrote of the need to think globally and to work together for a better future:

“To think about Canada, we need to think about the world. And the world’s future, it is clear, will depend on learning and getting along.”

Canada needs to partner with countries like Vietnam, in innovation and in business, to succeed in a globalized world.

On this State visit to Vietnam, I hope that I will be able to foster further dialogue between people, as well as businesses, and to promote our strong relationship.

Thank you.