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.