The Consul General of Canada praised the “mutual dependency” between the US and its neighbor to the north, during a speech at the Jump Trading Simulation Center Wednesday.
Roy Norton heads the Canadian Consulate based in Chicago. Norton told a group of civic and business leaders during the luncheon that the US exports more than $20 billion worth of goods and services to Canada. That’s nearly triple the amount in exports to Mexico, the US’ second largest export market.
Industries like finance, manufacturing, mining and transportation make up the bulk of Canadian investment. But Norton says there’s potential for more economic partnerships in healthcare.
“Obviously, they’re doing some pretty impressive work here by way of improving wellness outcomes and cost containment, every developed country is trying to achieve the same thing,” Norton said. “There’s some learning we can do by what’s happening here at Jump.”
Norton says he sees an opportunity for Canadian medical equipment developers to test products at the Jump Center.
Norton says in Peoria’s 18th congressional district alone, nearly $2 billion in goods and services were exported to Canada in 2014.
“We love American products, we can’t get enough of them,” Norton said.
Norton says more than 340,000 jobs in Illinois depend on trade and investment with Canada. In addition to his speech, Norton toured the Jump facility. The Peoria Chamber of Commerce sponsored the consul general’s visit.