December 30, 2016

Mr. Monte Kwinter
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of International Trade
99 Wellesley Street West
Room 1307, Whitney Block
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1W3

Dear Mr. Kwinter:

I am honoured to have you continue as my parliamentary assistant, and thank you for the valuable support that you will provide me in this crucial role. I welcome you to the Ministry of International Trade, and look forward to continuing to work closely with you to ensure that both ministry and overall government objectives are achieved.

At this mid-point of our mandate — and after having achieved two years of real and tangible progress — we are redoubling our efforts to deliver on our top priority — economic growth and good jobs. Our balanced plan to build Ontario up for everyone will deliver real benefits and more inclusive growth that will help people in their everyday lives. We will do this by continuing to invest in better infrastructure, more affordable and accessible postsecondary education, a competitive, low-carbon economy and improved retirement security.

Responsible fiscal management remains an overarching priority for our government, and, thanks to our disciplined approach, we are on track to balance the budget next year, in 2017-18.

The mandate letter I received in September from Premier Wynne sets out my specific priorities as minister for the coming two years. Parliamentary assistants play a key role in meeting these priorities and in helping put our government’s plan into action.

Together, we will work to promote new economic, business and cultural partnerships across Canada and around the world, and strengthen Ontario’s growth and competitiveness through trade policy.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of International Trade, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Providing support to welcome incoming commercial delegations and building relationships with these strategic partners.
  • Working closely with me to engage with all stakeholders within the trade ecosystem (for example, municipalities, the federal government, business leaders, associations and all chambers of commerce) to ensure full alignment to drive increased exports.
  • Supporting the growth of Ontario businesses by ensuring that Ontario’s International Trade Export Strategy and Business Growth Initiative’s Scale Up programs help more Ontario enterprises access international markets.
  • Collaborating with me to continue to build on the existing linkages created by Ontario’s and Canada’s international trade and investment offices around the world.

A tremendous opportunity lies before us — to ensure that our ministry’s mandate is fully and effectively implemented, to continue to build Ontario up and to deliver real benefits to all Ontarians.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

The Honourable Michael Chan
Minister of International Trade