‘Focus on building Pakistani brands that can compete internationally’

An interview with Samir Dossal, President Canada Pakistan Business Council

BR Research recently had a chance to sit down with Samir Dossal who is the current President of the Canada Pakistan Business Council. An entrepreneur and engineer by profession, Samir is also President of Linkks Canada Inc. and has served as the President of the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill and Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 7070. He served as Vice Chair/Hon. General Secretary at Ontario Chapter of JIBA International and on the Board of Directors of International Development & Relief Foundation. He also serves on the Richmond Hill Intercultural Advisory Committee. Samir has served on the CPBC Board for over ten years and is deeply passionate about promoting trade and good relations between Canada and Pakistan. We discuss bi-lateral trade between Canada and Pakistan and ways to improve it further.

Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.

BR Research: Please give us a brief background of the Canada Pakistan Business Council.

Samir Dossal: The Canada Pakistan Business Council (CPBC) is a not-for-profit Canadian organisation which was founded in 1983 to promote trade between Canada and Pakistan. Our work has been instrumental in helping bi-lateral trade cross the $1 billion mark between the two countries.

We facilitate investments in energy, mining, education, healthcare as well as consumer and industrial goods by organising trade missions between the two nations. CPBC is also involved in community and cultural engagement by establishing scholarships, adopting schools in Pakistan and helping create the South Asian Art Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum.

The CPBC also engages with other countries and is a member of the South Asian Business Council Alliance (SABCA), which is an association, formed by various business councils of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lank and Nepal with the aim of promoting Canadian trade with South Asian nations.

BRR: What are some of the initiatives taken by CPBC in recent times?

SD: The CPBC organised a five-day information and communications technology (ICT) delegation to Pakistan in March with the support of Global Affairs, Canada and in partnership with Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) to provide the delegates with a market overview and help them establish local industry contacts.

The delegates comprised of seasoned Canadian ICT companies specialising in various technologies and included Constellation Inc., which is one of the largest software companies in Canada. Their desire is to initiate the expansion of their business and increase employee headcount to 1000 employees throughout Pakistan.

The CPBC is supporting the 5 million PM Housing project in Pakistan by helping connect Canadian investors and technology with the Board of Investment as well as other related departments.

We have also launched NexGen to promote entrepreneurship and leadership development in young professionals. With the success that CPBC has enjoyed in promoting a bilateral trade relationship between Canada and Pakistan, the inspiration for NexGen was to ensure that the knowledge and mandate of CPBC gets passed on to the next generation, equipping them to carry the mission forward. It is a forum to groom and motivate leadership in our community.

BRR: What is the current value of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Canada?

SD: The total value of bilateral merchandise trade last year was $1.4 billion. Out of this amount, $1 billion are exports from Canada to Pakistan and the remaining $400 million are exports from Pakistan to Canada. It has been in this range in the last three to four years.

BRR: What items constitute the majority of trade between the two countries?

SD: Canadian exports to Pakistan are primarily agriculture based and comprise of canola seeds and leguminous vegetables such as chickpeas and lentils, which together account for more than 70 percent of total Canadian exports to Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan’s major exports include leather articles and textile products, rice, spices and a very small segment in the surgical and sports goods industry.

BRR: How can exports from Pakistan to Canada be improved?

SD: I think there are two aspects to this question. One is the capacity and mind-set of exporters in Pakistan and the second is the role of the Pakistan government in facilitating trade between the two countries. Generally, the mind-set in business circles in Pakistan is being content with catering to the domestic market and entering export markets is not an ambition.

The focus has to be on creating Pakistani brands that can compete internationally. There is tough competition in Canada with so many branded products from all across the globe available to consumers to choose from. Pakistani companies will need to step up their marketing and branding strategies. Another important need is to diversify exports from the traditional textile and leather base to IT and service exports and non-traditional items.

BRR: How can the Pakistan government’s role be improved to facilitate trade between the countries?

SD: The role of trade officers and commercial counsellors needs to be more proactive in generating investment opportunities. During the previous government’s regime, Ishaq Dar abolished the post of Trade Commissioner at the Pakistan Consulate in Toronto and now the position is only based out of Montreal.

It was appropriate 25 years ago for the Trade Commissioner to sit in Montreal because that was the hub. However, times have changed and Toronto is the hub now. This needs to be looked at by the government. Trade support should be the priority for all consulates globally.

Pakistan should also have private sector business promotion ambassadors with a clear mandate. These should not be considered as a replacement to the existing bureaucrat system but rather as a support to the consulates to complement them with business and marketing skillsets. There are Pakistanis who are very passionate and want to contribute and give back to Pakistan. It is all about gathering the right resources. This avenue needs to be explored further.

There is also the issue of engagement with the current Pakistan government. It is unfortunate that there are so many groups within the government. This makes it hard for us to engage on bi-lateral trade issues as there are so many different groups involved. There needs to be continuity in policies as stability is one of the biggest determinants of investment.

Lastly, trade consultations between the two nations need to increase. There have been two attempts at bi-lateral trade consultations between the two countries but they did not materialize. One was two years back when I met Aizaz Chaudhry, the Foreign Secretary at the time and briefed him on bi-lateral trade issues faced by the business sector as he was to travel to Canada for formal talks. However, the trip was called off due to another commitment. Similarly, Ms. Tehmina Janjua was to travel for talks and this visit never happened either. We are hopeful in seeing Shah Mahmood Qureshi meet his counterpart Minister Freeland in the near future as we see Canada can be a great ally to Pakistan. The push has been lacking somewhere and that needs to be corrected.