By SCBIZ Staff

TORONTO, CANADA -- A South Carolina delegation on Tuesday opened the trading day at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The event also marked the official launch of South Carolina’s Canada office in Toronto.

The state delegation included Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada David H. Wilkins, a South Carolina native.

Canada is South Carolina’s top export market. In 2006, Canada purchased more than $3 billion in products from the Palmetto State. Trade between South Carolina and Canada supports some 69,000 jobs in South Carolina alone and bilateral trade between the two totaled $4.5 billion in 2004, according to www.can-am.gc.ca and Global Trade Information Services.

“Throughout the years South Carolina and Canada have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship,” Taylor said. ‘Today Canada is our state’s largest export destination and trade between our countries supports thousands of jobs. As our relationship grows with Canada, so do our opportunities and we look forward to enhancing those efforts with a permanent presence in Canada.”

Canadian companies have a strong presence in South Carolina. At least 56 parent companies currently operate in at least 291 locations in South Carolina. As further evidence of the mutually beneficial relationship, nearly 1,900 Canadian companies export goods and services to South Carolina, according to http://strategis.ic.gc.ca and Dun & Bradstreet.

Andre J. LeBlanc will serve as director of the South Carolina state office in Toronto. LeBlanc, a Canadian native, has served as a project manager in global business development at the S.C. Department of Commerce. Prior to his time in South Carolina, LeBlanc worked in sales, marketing, and management in the pharmaceutical industry. He was raised in Montreal and has extensive experience in Canadian business development.