The Ambassador

Greetings from the Ambassador of Ecuador to Canada

Juan Diego Stacey Moreno

It is very pleasant to send a cordial greeting to all those who visit us through our new website.

I have the honor of representing a country of deep democratic values, place of origin of an ancient culture and home of hospitable people who fraternally welcome visitors from all over the world.  

Ecuador and Canada are inspired by principles and institutions of the Americas that share common values ​​such as the defense of human rights, democracy and environmental causes, which have contributed to establish solid bases of collaboration and understanding at bilateral and multilateral levels. 

The planetary crisis due to the COVID19 pandemic, whose effect on health, the environment, and national economies has been devastating and tested humanity’s resilience. This phenomenon will undoubtedly set new directions for the relationship between countries and the international community as a whole. 

Thus, this challenge should be an opportunity to find better forms of world coexistence, through solidarity and cooperation that will make possible the global social and economic recovery, particularly of developing nations. Consequently, Canada has supported Ecuador with important financial, non-reimbursable contributions, through International Organizations such as PAHO, WFP and UNHCR and through funds from local initiatives of its Embassy in Quito to mitigate the harsh health and social effects of the pandemic.

The friendship with Canada is based in 61 years of fruitful collaboration and an excellent level of political dialogue and cooperation, based on mutual interest.

At the aforementioned level, it has particular relevance the political dialogue and the cooperation which have the friendship between the two countries. In recent years the meetings between the Prime Minister, President, and bilateral political consultations among Chancellors of Ecuador and Canada, and other high authorities, have become more frequent to stablish dialogue and bi-national agenda on political, economic, trade, trade and cultural relations.  

Canadian companies have shown interest and confidence in investment projects in various Ecuadorian sectors and strengthening of credit capacity for the promotion of micro, small or medium business and the sector of cooperatives.

At the economic, commercial and financial level Canadian companies have shown interest in terms of investing in Ecuador. According to the Central Bank of Ecuador, Canada is among the countries that most foreign direct investment (FDI) has placed in Ecuador, especially in the mining, oil, financial and infrastructure sectors.

The participation of Ecuador for several consecutive years as a sponsor of the PDAC Fair (Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada) in Toronto, the most important in the world in its sector, places it among those associated with responsible mining.

Ecuadorian internal regulations for foreign investment, reinforced by the Double Taxation Agreement, offer very attractive business opportunities for Canadian investors. Complementary, the Ecuadorian government is working on an agreement for the promotion and protection of investments that will offer the regulatory framework, and the legal security, that Canadian private investors require.

Concerning the improvement of air connectivity, which will have a positive impact on trade and tourism, the Ecuador-Canada Air Service Agreement is already operating. In this context, Air Canada successfully began direct flights to Ecuador in December 2019, which sadly were cancelled due to the pandemic. However, cargo flights for trade purposes between both countries remain active.

The Embassy deploys in Canada an intense participation in travel trade shows and the strategic promotion of tourism based on Ecuador’s natural, historical and national heritage attractions. In this context, tourism is a priority for the Embassy.

At the trade level, the Canadian market is very attractive for Ecuadorian exports, which currently are well ranked in relation to other Latin-American countries. In this sense, the participation of Ecuadorian products in food and agro-industrial Canadian fairs has been very valuable.

Other sector of the bilateral relationship is the strengthening of cooperation in education, science and research, especially through scholarships from SENESCYT and the agreement with the Canadian consortium CALDO, which allows Ecuadorian students access to important universities of Canada with favorable conditions.

Ecuador values Canada’s new feminist policy of cooperation, which opens new possibilities of collaboration in the area of ​​gender equality among research centers, universities, municipalities, and indigenous communities.

Cultural and academic activities have been promoted by the Embassy in order to showcase Ecuador’s artistic, ancestral and heritage values. The International Congress on Multidisciplinary Perspectives about Ecuador, which took place in October of 2019, marked an unprecedented milestone from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences in both Ecuador and Canada. This event was organized by the Embassy, ​​Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar and the University of Ottawa. Likewise, the return to Ecuador of 10,000 archeological pieces of the Valdivia culture, that were for many years under study at the University of Calgary, and are now being studied at the Socio-Cultural Research Center of the San Francisco de Quito University (USFQ), represents a valuable link between the two countries.1

At the level of multilateral collaboration Ecuador and Canada share mutual interests concerning: climate change; sustainable development goals; fight against transnational crime; defense of human rights and democracy; gender equity and the eradication of poverty.

The presence of a vigorous and dynamic Ecuadorian community, many of whose members proudly hold dual citizenship, enriches Canadian cultural diversity and actively contributes to the progress and well-being of the two nations. At the same time, many Canadians have been attracted to Ecuador for tourism, a destination for investment opportunities, and as an ideal place to live their golden years.

Ecuador’s public policies in favor of immigrants are a primer concern in the work of the Embassy and Consulates. This has been reflected in the optimization of our consular services through virtual tools, the efficient and warm attention of the Consulates, and the special assistance in cases of vulnerabilities. Having held the Presidency of the World Forum on Migration and Development make Ecuador an international benchmark in migration matters.

The staff of the Embassy of Ecuador in Canada is willing to serve the Ecuadorian and Canadian community.  I am sure that this website, together with our Twitter account (@EmbajadaEcuCAN), will be useful for the Canadian public and, in general, for those who are interested in the development of solid relationships of friendship and cooperation between Ecuador and Canada.

Ottawa, March 21st 2021

1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFsOOnKDwkI&t=120s