Appendix A

THE 34th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

ASEAN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

THE EMPIRE HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB,

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

17th – 23rd SEPTEMBER 2013

Statement by Senator Donald Neil Plett
Leader of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation

Mr. President,

Honourable Parliamentarians,

Delegates,

Ladies and Gentleman.

My name is Senator Don Plett and it is a great pleasure to be here with my colleague, Senator Dan Lang, to take part in this very important conference. I have already had the opportunity see parts of this wonderful city.

·         Canada has a special and longstanding relationship with ASEAN; a relationship built on friendship, economic ties, mutual security interests, and our shared belief in democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law.

·         Canada is a country of the Pacific, and we are one of ASEAN's longest standing Dialogue Partners. 2013 marks 36 years of diplomatic ties between Canada and ASEAN.

·         We see our relationship with ASEAN playing a vitally important, strategic role in the helping to secure long-term prosperity of Canadians, just as it does for the 630 million people who live in the ASEAN region.

·         Canada has reinvigorated its engagement with ASEAN in recent years. Both Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, and Minister of International Trade Ed Fast, were in Brunei earlier this year for meetings with their ASEAN counterparts.

·         There have also been numerous bilateral high level visits exchanged between Canada and ASEAN member states over the past several months. Notably, then ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan visited Canada in September, 2012.

·         In Brunei in early July, Minister Baird announced millions of dollars' worth of new Canada-ASEAN initiatives which will support connectivity and ASEAN community-building, in areas such as financial regulation, public private partnerships, disaster risk reduction and response, and facilitating trade security by increasing capacity building efforts.

·         Our Government strongly supports ASEAN's community building aspirations and their goal of achieving an ASEAN Community by December 31, 2015.

·         We recognize the important role ASEAN is playing in shaping the region's architecture.

·         We encourage ASEAN to pursue a robust trade and investment liberalization agenda and work toward long-lasting solutions to existing internal challenges. We encourage all ASEAN countries to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms and to work in concert to address systemic corruption issues.

·         Canada continues to be a significant contributor to ASEAN's community building objectives, and we will continue to increase our engagement to its fullest potential.

With regards to trade, ASEAN has been a significant partner for Canada, ranking as our 7th largest trading partner, with a total value of $ 15.8 billion last year.

·         We recently announced the creation of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council to focus on growing private-sector cooperation between Canadian and Southeast Asian businesses.

·         Thailand is Canada's largest merchandise trading partner in ASEAN. In 2012, Canada's bilateral trade with Thailand reached to $3.3 billion. Our government launched exploratory discussions with this very important trading partner of Canada and also in the region.

·         Indonesia is Canada's largest export destination, with $ 1.6 billion, annually. We are currently negotiating a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.

·         Export to Singapore in 2012 was $908 million, an increase of 12% over the previous year.

·         And notably, to Brunei, a country of only 400,000 people, Canada's exports in 2011 amounted to $3.7 million, mostly in machinery. As well, Canada imported in the same year $8.1 million of organic chemicals, knit apparel and miscellaneous chemical products.

The people to people ties between Canada and the countries of ASEAN are impressively strong

·         The ASEAN region represented the top source of permanent residents in Canada in 2010.

·         Specifically, 800,000 Canadians of Filipino background are now living and working in Canada. Indeed, for two years now, the Philippines have been the largest source for immigrants to Canada, many of whom have settled in my home province of Manitoba. I have personally had the chance to interact with many Filipino immigrants, and they are truly a great asset for my province and my country.

Over the years, Canada's financial services sector has grown significantly in ASEAN countries. Let me highlight a few Canadian successes:

·         Vietnam: Manulife became the first foreign-owned life insurance company licensed in Vietnam in June 1999, and currently maintains over 390,000 policies. Sunlife received a license to operate in January 2013 in Vietnam.

·         Indonesia: In 2010, Manulife was named Indonesia's best life insurance company by an industry association.

·         Cambodia: In 2012, Manulife became the first wholly-owned foreign life insurer to commence operations in Cambodia.

·         Philippines: Sun Life's had record insurance sales in 2012, up 58 % over 2011.

·         Canada's top merchandise exports to Southeast Asia were: fertilizers; machinery; cereals; aircraft and aircraft parts; and wood pulp.

·         Indonesia and the Philippines are Blackberry's first and second most important market in South East Asia.

·         Bombardier, CAE and Viking Air are training Vietnamese pilots, and are very active in the region.

Colleagues, in closing, let me again say it is a great pleasure to be with you and I look forward to the important discussions and dialogue that will take place over the entire week.

Thank you.