Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Ms Emily Mo, joined the 2024 iPitch Competition hosted by the Junior Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (McGill Chapter) in Montreal on March 15. Through this annual competition supported by HKETO and Invest Hong Kong in Canada (InvestHK), participating university students pitched their business ideas in teams to win a prize.
Addressing the event virtually, Ms Mo noted that Hong Kong, being a leading world-class city and one of the world’s most competitive economies, has been the soft landing pad for Canadians going to Asia. She said that under the “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong enjoys a special role to have its own legal, immigration and business systems. Hong Kong also has its own sets of talent attraction schemes.
Ms Mo stressed that the people and business ties between Canada and Hong Kong are significant. “About 400,000 Canadians are currently living in Hong Kong. They never have problem in coping with the language and culture when settling down there,” she added.
In addition, there are over a hundred Canadian companies, ranging from major banks and insurers to small-and-medium enterprises including start-ups. “They are very eager to have fellow Canadians to join their force,” Ms Mo said. “Young people’s remuneration, opportunities and career ladders are very attractive in Hong Kong, especially the exposure to international companies and markets.”
In terms of the variety of entertainment and leisure options as well as its unique connectivity to other Asian cities, Ms Mo remarked that Hong Kong is also a gem to live and visit. She encouraged young Canadian talents to grasp the opportunities and consider Hong Kong as their next destination.
At the meeting, the Deputy Head of Business and Talent Attraction of InvestHK, Ms Grace Lau, briefed the participating students on the latest developments of Hong Kong and the different support available locally and in Hong Kong.
In addition, the University of Toronto’s Cantonese Debate Club will resume its annual Debate Competition on March 23 after the pandemic. The HKETO will be a major supporter of the competition.
香港經貿處處長鼓勵加拿大青年人才來港發展
香港駐多倫多經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿處）處長巫菀菁三月十五日參加由青年港加商會（McGill分會）在蒙特利爾舉辦的2024年業務推廣個案比賽。活動獲香港經貿處和香港投資推廣署加拿大辦事處（投資推廣署）支持，參賽大學生以小組形式展示他們的商業創意，以獲殊榮。
巫菀菁透過網上致辭，她指出作為領先世界的國際城市和全球最具競爭力經濟體之一，香港一直是加拿大人前往亞洲最舒適的落腳點。她說，在「一國兩制」下，香港享有特殊的地位，擁有自己的法律、入境和商貿制度；香港也有特別的計劃吸引人才。
巫菀菁強調，加拿大與香港之間享有密切的人文交流和商務聯繫。她說：「目前約有40萬加拿大人居於香港，他們在語言和文化適應方面都沒有問題。」
此外，逾百家加拿大公司在港營商，包括銀行、保險、中小型企業，以及初創公司。巫菀菁說：「這些企業熱切期待加拿大人加入，特別在香港，年輕人的薪酬、工作機會和晉升階梯都甚具吸引力，也有相當機會接觸國際企業和市場。」
就多元化的娛樂和休閒活動，以及與其他亞洲城市的獨特聯繫而言，巫菀菁亦表示，香港居住和旅遊皆宜，她勉勵加拿大青年才俊把握機遇，考慮以香港為下一個落腳點。
會上，投資推廣署副總監劉慧恩亦向與會學生介紹香港的最新發展，以及該署在加拿大和香港所提供的支援。
此外，多倫多大學粵語辯論學會將於三月二十三日進行疫後首次復辦的年度辯論比賽，香港經貿處予以支持。
