At their meeting, Mr Bischofberger and the Speaker of the House of Commons, Geoff Regan, discussed bilateral relations between Switzerland and Canada. The two countries share common interests and values as well as having federalist structures and a multilingual population. Mr Bischofberger also met the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Senator Raynell Anreychuk, and the Chair of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, Scott Sims. The focus of that discussion was on the intensive economic exchanges between the two countries, which have been regulated since mid-2009 by a free trade agreement concluded with Canada by Switzerland and its EFTA partners.
During his official visit to Canada, Mr Bischofberger had the opportunity to meet members of the Swiss community in Toronto and Montreal and Ottawa. The agenda also included meetings with the president of the Fédération des sociétés suisses de l'est du Canada, representatives of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) in Canada, and representatives from the Canadian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Business Hub. He also took time to meet Swiss professors teaching at Canadian universities. While in Montreal he paid a visit to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Canada are very good. Canada is Switzerland’s second largest trade partner on the American continent. And Switzerland is among the top ten foreign investors in Canada. Swiss firms employ around 34,180 staff in Canada (2015 figures). As of the end of 2016, 40,280 Swiss nationals were registered in Canada.
Mr Bischofberger was accompanied on his visit by Martina Buol, the Deputy Secretary General of the Federal Assembly.