Northern neighbor opens markets to U.S. companies

According to a recent announcement from NEMA, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) wants anyone involved in U.S. manufacturing to be aware of a new opportunity in Canada. In February, the U.S. and Canada signed a bilateral government procurement agreement that, for the first time, opens Canada's Provincial Governments' purchasing to U.S. companies. A bit of history: The U.S. has tried since the original U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, subsequently in NAFTA, and again in the WTO, to obtain access to these markets. As a result of this new development, there are potentially billions of dollars in new opportunities for U.S. manufacturers. A searchable database of Canadian government procurement projects, many of which are now open to U.S. companies, can be found at www.merx.com. For additional details, visit www.nema.org.