In our latest episode of CIAC Conversations, Chris Lane, President & CEO of the Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership, also known as ‘STEP,’ joins APF Canada’s Communications Director, Michael Roberts, at the sidelines of our fourth annual Canada-in-Asia Conference (CIAC2026) in Singapore in February.
Chris discusses the genesis of STEP as an export enablement partner for Saskatchewan businesses, promoting trade and economic diversification of the province’s vast industries and resources to economies across Asia and beyond. He details the organization’s latest trade mission in the region, centred on Canadian agriculture promotion and held in partnership with the Government of Alberta. He points to the importance of being “collaborative within Canada, creative in how we approach the market . . . and focused on how we cultivate [Canadian] companies to be exporters” in the Indo-Pacific region as a key takeaway from both CIAC2026 and the recent trade mission.
The conversation also highlights on-the-ground responses to PM Carney’s trade diversification strategy, particularly Canadian farmers facing high export trade barriers, and the importance of local trans-Pacific relationship-building in the export market.
This podcast was originally recorded in February 2026.
