BANGOR – The Maine International Trade Center, with the University of Maine’s Canadian-American Center, the Canadian Consulate General in Boston, Bangor Savings Bank and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, will host a seminar, “Canada: The Market Next Door,” 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at Bangor Savings Bank’s G. Clifton Eames Learning Center in Bangor.

The program is designed to inform state officials, economic developers, business representatives and interested citizens about history, geography, politics, economics and business in Canada.

The Canadian Consul General to New England, the Hon. Ronald Irwin, will participate in the seminar as part of his first official visit to Maine.

Irwin will take part in a roundtable discussion, “What does the Maine-Canada relationship mean?”

UMaine Canadian Studies professors will conduct workshops addressing topics such as key elements of the Canadian economy, the structure of the Canadian political system and Canadian business policies.

Richard J. Coyle, president of MITC and International Trade Director for the state, said it was important for businesses and government officials of Maine to develop a better understanding of the state’s relationship with Canada.

“Canada is our largest trading partner and foreign investor. It behooves anyone in Maine interested in expanding trade to learn more about Canada,” Coyle said.

Organizers said that with the ninth largest economy in the world, Canada presents a viable market for Maine manufacturers and service providers – especially after the lowering of trade barriers under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The idea for the seminar was formulated last summer at a meeting of the Governor’s Canadian Advisory Council.

“It was the consensus of the group that there wasn’t enough awareness of Canada in Maine – in the U.S. even – in terms of the basics – how its economy works, how its government is structured, or how its history developed,” Coyle said.

Wade Merritt, director of MITC’s Bangor office and its Canada Desk, said the Canadian-American Center was one of the first partners the organization considered. Merritt graduated from UMaine with a minor in Canadian Studies.

“The Canadian-American Center was a good fit for us because it’s the center of expertise for that kind of knowledge. As far as finding lecturers on history, economics or political science, the Canadian-American Center was an obvious choice. That’s where that kind of knowledge resides in the state,” Merritt said.

The Canadian-American Center is one of the leading institutes for the study of Canada in the U.S. The center coordinates an extensive program of undergraduate and graduate education; helps support a major research library on Canada; promotes cross-border research in the humanities, social sciences and professions; and directs outreach programs to state, regional and national audiences.

The university has 17 professors of Canadian Studies in disciplines including archaeology, business, economics, English, folklore, forest resources, French, geography, History and political science.

The center was designated a National Resource Center on Canada by the U.S. Department of Education in 1979.

Seminar sessions will include: “The Relevance of Canadian History and Geography” with Profs. Scott See and Stephen Hornsby; “Canada and the World Economy” with Prof. Georges Tanguay; “Politics and Policy in Canada” with Prof. Howard Cody; and “Canadian Business and Policies” with professor Marie-Christine Therrien.

Participants in the roundtable discussion will include Consul General Irwin; David Cole, Eastern Maine Development Corporation; Daniel Doiron, president of Prexar; P. James Dowe, president of Bangor Savings Bank; and Norman Ledwin, president of Eastern Maine Healthcare.

The cost of the program is $60 for MITC members and $75 for non-members. To register, contact Catherine C. Macri by Jan. 14 at 541-7455 or macri@mitc.com. For information, visit www.mitc.com.