Canada should make the conclusion of a free trade agreement with South Korea an urgent priority, appoint a Canadian ambassador to ASEAN and expedite trade negotiations with China, Japan and India, recommends a task force struck by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Canada has made significant inroads in Asia, the task force concluded, but urged the Canadian government to move to more “comprehensive engagement” if it wants to benefit fully from trade opportunities in the Pacific Rim.
“Ottawa has done a commendable job over the past three years to put Canada back on track with our engagement with Asia,” said task force member Don Campbell, senior strategy advisor to Davis LLP.
“The challenge now is for Canada to sustain and build on its foothold in Asia through a more coherent strategy that utilizes bilateral and regional processes. Currently, Canada is either not present or on the margins of some key institutions.”
The task force report – Securing Canada’s Place in Asia: Institutions, Means and Mechanisms – was released Thursday, the same day Prime Minister Stephen Harper left to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in Russia.
Task force members included Paul Evans, professor of Asian International Relations at the University of British Columbia, and Pierre Lortie, senior business adviser at Vancouver’s Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP.
Canada is a member of APEC, a dialogue partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). But it is not a member of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting nor the East Asia Summit. Canada. It is also still waiting for approval to join the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations.
The task force urges the Canadian government to seek membership on all of those organizations. It also recommends Canada volunteer to chair and host APEC in 2017.
“Some might question the value of Canada joining process-filled forums in Asia, but keep in mind that the rules of engagement in Asia are different,” Campbell said.
“Being active participants at these tables is critical to building long-term trust with Asian counterparts. This is ultimately vital to Canada's long-term prosperity.”
