Appendix A

Fellow parliamentarians and colleagues,

It is with tremendous pleasure and pride that I stand before you as a representative of the Parliament of Canada and address the 38th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Manila, Philippines. I have much to share in my statement given the many developments that have taken place since a Canadian delegation last addressed this assembly of parliamentarians.

• This year, we mark two significant milestones. The first is the 50th anniversary of ASEAN.
• The second significant milestone we celebrate is the 40th anniversary of Canada becoming a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.
• Among the achievements of our partnership, we celebrate the opportunities presented to exchange views on a wide range of political, economic, social and security issues. Our engagement has covered such matters of mutual priority as regional integration, interfaith dialogue, transnational crime and counterterrorism, and disaster risk reduction, among many others.
• The importance Canada places on advancing our ties is evident in the steps taken in the last several years to expand the bilateral and multilateral frameworks for collaboration, and our ambitions to accede to such fora as the East Asia Summit and the Asian Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus at the earliest opportunity.
• In 2009 Canada appointed an ambassador to ASEAN and adopted the Joint Declaration on the ASEANCanada Enhanced Partnership, which is being implemented through successive five-year Plans of Action.
• The most recent Plan of Action for 2016-2020 targets goals relating to the support for the post-2015 ASEAN Community Vision 2025 building and integration process.
• The parliamentary dimension of our engagement, by way of bilateral interactions, offers an invaluable dimension to our efforts to deepen ties and mutual understanding.

We uphold the value of people-to-people ties as another dimension of our engagement.

• Canada takes great pride in its diversity and multicultural fabric, as well as in the benefits it derives from communities from around the world.
• Southeast Asia is an important source of that pride. Since the 1970s, the countries of Southeast Asia have been a key source of Canada’s immigrant population and today, over 1 million people from Southeast Asia make their home in Canada.
• The Philippines regularly stands out as among the top sources for new Canadian residents and citizens. In 2015, the Philippines ranked the highest among Canada’s source countries for permanent residents at an astounding 51,000. Today, there are an estimated 850,000 people of Philippine origin in Canada.
• Members of the Southeast Asian communities in Canada have made their mark across all fields: political, social, medical, business, legal, arts and entertainment, education, and sport – even hockey.
• With globalization easing communication and travel, I have confidence that our people-to-people ties will only grow stronger.

Canada is a trading nation. Our economy and our jobs are dependent on the export and import of goods, trade in services, and foreign investment.

• The economies of ASEAN stand out as particularly and increasingly important to Canada across a range of sectors, including oil and gas, mining, high tech, telecommunications, agri-food, financial services, aviation and consumer goods.
• As a group, ASEAN ranks as Canada’s sixth largest trading partner.
• In 2016, our bilateral merchandise trade reached C$21.6 billion, the stock of Canadian direct investment in ASEAN countries reached over C$8.5 billion and foreign investment from ASEAN exceeded C$258 million.
• In 2016, we launched a Canada-ASEAN annual trade policy dialogue, wherein we commit to discussing greater trade liberalization, increased commercial cooperation, and measures to reduce barriers to trade.
• We have also committed to exploring the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement between Canada and ASEAN, an initiative that is still very much a work in progress.

The ASEAN region regrettably continues to suffer from various sources of instability which are having an impact on its ability to enjoy further economic prosperity and social advancement.

• We have a keen interest in discussing some of these in greater depth, including terrorism, disaster and humanitarian response, human trafficking.
• Developments surrounding the status of various islands and land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea is always worrisome for Canada, particularly from the perspective of maritime security and the safety of maritime trade routes.
• We add our voice to those calling for restraint and renewed efforts to peacefully manage and resolve the dispute in accordance with international law.

In conclusion, it is our hope that the fifth decade of the partnership between Canada and ASEAN sees our commitment and enthusiasm for stronger links translate into our increased presence and even more meaningful engagement, particularly on the parliamentary front.

Thank you.