Syracuse, N.Y. — Canada's Consul General in New York, John Prato, swung into Syracuse Tuesday on a mission to promote trade between his country and the United States.

John Prato

The two countries are each other's largest trading partners already, but Prato said there's room to increase the trade, particularly in the areas of energy.

"We do a lot together, but it goes unnoticed," he said at the Syracuse Technology Garden, a business incubator, before a stop at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.

Canada and the U.S. are the world's largest trading partners, with nearly $759 billion in goods and services traded in 2014. Nine million jobs in the U.S. are tied to trade with Canada, Prato said.

Trade between New York and Canada totaled $34.2 billion in 2014. Nearly 681,000 jobs in New York, including 18,000 in Central New York, depend on trade with Canada, Prato said. Energy, metal goods, medical equipment and paper are a major part of the trade between New York and Canada, he said.

Prato, a former investment banker, is based in New York City and is on a swing through Upstate New York to meet with political and business leaders, encouraging them to work with their Canadian counterparts to better compete with Asia, Europe and South America. He'll be in Rochester on Wednesday and Buffalo on Thursday and Friday.

"We're really trying to underline this relationship," he said.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148