The city of Vancouver is one of the most important trade areas in BC, and indeed across Canada, with Port Metro Vancouver standing as the largest and most diverse port in the country, and one of the busiest in North America.

Trade relationships between Canada and the Pacific Rim countries, as well as a general increase in Canadian exports, has pushed Vancouver into the spotlight as Canada’s capital of trade.

Wallace Chan, an international trade instructor at Ashton College in Vancouver, explains:

Since relationships between Canada and the Pacific Rim countries are rapidly developing, there should be an increase in demand for our seaports: definitely a good thing for Canada (and for Vancouver specifically).

“This will help us, as a city, diversify our business and industries and create more work opportunities for those involved in global trade.”

Vancouver’s importance as a contributing factor to the growth in Canada’s export industry should not be underestimated. As Wallace notes, the Canadian export market is currently in a transitional period.

“It seems like the combination of goods and services that are being transported from Canada to other countries is gradually changing. In the past, Canada used to rely mostly on exporting natural resources, like coal and timber, especially on the west coast. Now, however, we are talking more about made-in-Canada products and Canadian services.”

Check out more information about the importance of trade in Vancouver in the infographic below:

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Lindsay Brumwell is a Trade Specialist, Agri-Value at Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP), which champions the province of Saskatchewan’s export industry and assists provincial businesses in realizing global marketing opportunities.

In this role, Lindsay has led agri-value market development missions to Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States. She is working on a current project to further the market and trade development of food ingredients for both animal and human consumption into Mexico.

Before Lindsay began at STEP in 2012, she spent five years as the Trade Development Coordinator in the Business Development Unit at Port Metro Vancouver (PMV)—the most diversified port in North America—operating as an international gateway for automobiles, breakbulk, bulk, container and cruise.

Lindsay attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American studies, and a minor in International Relations. She also has her master’s diploma in International Management (Latin America and Asia Pacific) from McRae Institute of International Management at Capilano University.

Lindsay decided to pursue the CITP®│FIBP®  designation as a way to enhance and sharpen her global trade skills.

I applied for the designation because STEP really encourages and values the designation in our workplace.

The designation gives her one more pathway to excel in a career that she has worked hard to establish.

Lindsay’s devotion to STEP and her clients is evident, as she was peer-selected for the organization’s Innovation Award because of her initiative. She is known as a dedicated and determined professional who is always looking for ways to tap into new markets and seize opportunities for the benefit of her clients at STEP.

I’m extremely happy I earned the designation. I foresee it being a resource in my future career to access the FITT community and help me, and STEP, grow.

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