From Montréal to Toronto, the Canadian Chamber in Italy mission opens new economic prospects between Italy, the Mediterranean and Canada, including institutional meetings and dialogues on innovation.
When one’s eyes go beyond the Atlantic, one is not always ready to take advantage of the opportunities that arise from sharing values, economic interests and cultural visions. Yet, it is exactly on this axis – between Italy, the Mediterranean and Canada – that the mission promoted by the Canadian Chamber in Italy took place from 23 to 31 May 2025 between Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto.
The declared objective of the mission was not simply to participate in an exhibition event, but to build a structured dialogue with Canadian public institutions and economic actors, to promote bilateral relations in trade, tourism, sustainability, innovation and economic cooperation.
A tight agenda, between Quebec and Ontario
The mission began in Montréal on 23 May, with a day full of meetings. In the morning, an institutional meeting with Italian-Canadian entrepreneurs and professionals was held at the offices of Fasken, a leading North American law firm. The meeting was an opportunity to present the Chamber’s strategic vision on the role that Italian and Mediterranean SMEs can play in the Canadian economy, with a view to sustainability and digitalisation.
This was followed by two important meetings: the first with the top management of Investissement Québec, an agency for investment promotion, with whom policies for attracting capital and industrial partnerships were discussed; the second with the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ), to initiate a dialogue between chamber systems and evaluate structured forms of collaboration.
On 26 May, the delegation travelled to Ottawa, the federal capital, for a series of institutional appointments. Of great importance was the meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Alessandro Cattaneo, who welcomed the mission as a concrete initiative to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. At the centre of the discussion was the CETA free trade agreement between Canada and Europe and future initiatives to enhance opportunities for SMEs.
Soon after, the mission participants were received at the Senate of Canada by Senator Tony Loffreda, who has been committed to promoting entrepreneurship and relations with the Italian community in Canada for years.
The following day, 27 May, a meeting was held with representatives of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where the role of bilateral chambers and the potential of the Mediterranean as a trade and cultural platform were discussed.
The Mediterranean takes centre stage in Toronto
The final stage of the mission took place on 30 and 31 May in Toronto, as part of the World of Travel, Trade & Taste Expo 2025, hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was here that the Mediterranean Pavilion, organised in collaboration with ASCAME (Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce) and Euromed Group Srl, took shape. The Pavilion offered two days of intense activities: conferences, thematic panels, tastings, B2B meetings and product presentations.
The programme included discussions on the potential for collaboration between Canada and the Mediterranean countries, sustainable tourism, cultural heritage enhancement, promotion of Mediterranean gastronomy, and digital strategies to attract new markets. Numerous Canadian participants visited the exhibition area, confirming the growing interest in business models from the Mediterranean basin.
“The decision to build a coordinated presence at this event was the result of teamwork involving public and private entities. The Mediterranean Pavilion was the ideal stage to tell Canadians another narrative of the Mediterranean: not only beauty and tourism, but also innovation and enterprise,’ said Caterina Passariello, President of the Canadian Chamber in Italy.
New appointments, new energy to continue the mission
During its inaugural event in Montreal, the Chamber announced two important appointments that mark a strengthening of its transatlantic governance.
Salvatore Cimmino has been appointed as the new Vice President with responsibility for Canada. An Italian-Canadian with extensive business experience in the technology sector, Cimmino has worked with Italian-Canadian and industry associations on several occasions to facilitate connections and networking. ‘I enthusiastically accept this responsibility,’ said Cimmino. “Canada represents a strategic partner for Italy, not only on a commercial level but also in terms of shared values. My commitment will be aimed at building solid and lasting bridges between our communities’.
Alongside him, the new Delegate for Innovation, Canadian Pierre-Philippe Lortie, a professional and consultant active in the fields of innovation, research, and start-ups, was also presented. “Innovation means creating connections between ideas, cultures and technologies. The mission of the Canadian Chamber in Italy is aligned with this vision: to facilitate dialogue between different actors to address common challenges. I am honoured to be able to contribute in this direction,” said Lortie.
Vice President Stefano Colombetti also stressed the added value of these appointments: ‘We are building a network of competences that can respond to global challenges with concrete tools. The Chamber is going through a phase of growth and structuring that will allow us to operate more effectively both in Italy and Canada, with concrete connections in the Mediterranean area’.
An economic diplomacy of relationships
In addition to the numbers (more than forty official meetings, dozens of new contacts between companies and institutions), what is at the heart of this mission is the ability to have built authentic relationships, based on mutual listening and concreteness.
It was not just about presenting opportunities, but about building trust: in people, in projects, in future alliances. In the coming months, the Canadian Chamber in Italy will work on:
- Consolidate the relationships established with Canadian counterparts.
- Promote the development of a digital platform to facilitate interaction between companies from the two countries.
- Promote a shared agenda of events, roadshows and European projects with international outreach.
A step forward, together
The mission to Canada was a turning point. Not only for the content covered or the realities encountered, but for the approach with which it was conducted: collaborative, proactive, projected towards the future.
It is a story that does not end with the return to Italy, but continues in the next meetings, in the partnerships that will be born, in the ideas that will be transformed into enterprises. Because building bridges is not a rhetorical exercise, but a daily work that starts from relationships and reaches the real economy.
