Roundtable with Canadian Ambassador to Panama

Roundtable with Canadian

Ambassador to Panama

March 27th, 2013

The Canadian Council for the Americas Alberta and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) are honoured to invite you or a representative of your organization to attend a Round Table with Canadian Ambassador to Panama, Sylvia Cesaratto. A biography of Ambassador Cesaratto is below. The session will take place at 8:30 A.M. until 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday March 27th, 2013 at the Terrace View Room, 5th Floor of the 

Global Business Centre (120 8 Ave SE Calgary, AB T2G 0K6).

The Ambassador will speak about the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement. The FTA addresses: market access for goods, cross-border trade in services, telecommunications, investment, financial services and government procurement. She will provide an overview of Canada-Panama commercial and political relations and address opportunities for Canadian companies to do business in the market. The Ambassador's presentation will be followed by an interactive roundtable discussion, an opportunity to ask questions and discuss your company's experience in Panama or prospects to do business there.

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, announced on December 14, 2012 that the Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act has received royal assent. Panama is an important market for Canada and a strategic hub of commercial activity for Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean region of South America. It is Canada's second-largest export market in Central America, after Costa Rica, with bilateral merchandise trade reaching $235.3 million in 2011, up 10.1 percent over 2010. Increasing economic opportunity in the Americas has been a Canadian foreign policy priority since 2007.

The Canadian Council for the Americas-Alberta (CCA-Alberta) plays an important role in strengthening business and trade linkages between Alberta-based companies and Latin American and Caribbean markets. Since 1992, the organization has facilitated the exchange of information and exploration of opportunities for partnership and growth in this region of the world through a variety of events and forums. CCA Alberta welcomes Canadian Ambassador to Panama, Sylvia Cesaratto, to Calgary.

Sylvia Cesaratto (BComm [Administration], Concordia University, 1987) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1991. In 1993 Ms. Cesaratto was posted to Johannesburg, South Africa when Canada reopened its Trade Office once sanctions were lifted. In 1999 Ms. Cesaratto served as First Secretary for aerospace and defence in London, UK and in 2003 as the Commercial Counsellor in Brussels, Belgium. In Ottawa, she worked as a personnel officer with the Human Resources Branch and as a United Kingdom desk officer. Prior to her current appointment, she was the Director of the Strategic Initiatives Division. She is married to Malcolm K. Britto, and they have four children: Marcello, Kiara, Dante and Roman.