Canada welcomed the opportunity to develop stronger business and commercial ties with South Africa, as many Canadians perceived the country as an important gateway to the continent, the Governor General of Canada David Johnston said at a networking lunch at the JSE on Wednesday.

He cautioned, however, that this was dependent on a continued sense of national trust between the two States.

“While we have a wonderful opportunity to deepen our trade ties for mutual benefit, the relationship on which those trade relationships are, at their very root, based, is trust. This can either be built up slowly over time or destroyed very quickly,” he said.

Johnston’s comments came on the last day of a three-day State visit by the dignitary, who was accompanied by a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians and prominent role-players in the country’s academic, business and development sectors, and which saw him meeting with President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday.

The High Commission of Canada said the purpose of the visit was to explore ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation in various sectors and to promote innovation, economic development and education.

While the two countries had long been significant partners in trade and development, Johnston was “encouraged” by the continued deepening and maturing of commercial ties and saw good potential for further collaboration.

Among the key sectors of interest for Canadians in South Africa, he said, were mining, agriculture, transportation, information and communications technology, and engineering and consulting services.

Canadians were also eager to expand the level of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of higher education.

“Our many partnerships are examples of what I call the diplomacy of knowledge, which is defined as our ability to learn and innovate together across borders and disciplines,” he commented.

This was evidenced by an announcement earlier this month that the Canadian International Development Agency (Cida) would inject C$10-million into the South African National Treasury's Technical Assistance Unit (Tau) over the next five years.

Engineering News Online reported that the National Treasury's Tau initiative had, over the past 12 years, been tasked with improving South African government agencies’ efficiency, performance and effectiveness, as well as the quality of public service spend.

Cida had contributed about R86-million to Tau since 2007, which Tau had used to support 213 departments and public entities, National Treasury said in a statement.

Johnston added on Wednesday that the challenges that existed in both countries made it all the more essential for each to further explore the potential of intensified engagement.

He cited the Square Kilometre Array telescope scope project, which included collaboration between South African and Canadian specialists, as a critical example of what could be achieved through international academic and private sector cooperation.

In addition, he referenced Canadian rail company Bombardier, which partnered local transportation firm, the Bombela Consortium, in the manufacture of the train carriages for the Gautrain project.

“For two countries located at opposite ends of the globe, our relationship is, in many ways, significant; however, the potential is there for it to be so much more,” said Johnston.