In a virtual town hall hosted by Filipino Canadian Member of Parliament Rechie Valdez, Canadian officials gave members of the Filipino community a broad outline of the country’s new Indo-Pacific strategy.

This aims to invest $2.3 billion over the next five years in what is seen as the world’s next fastest growing region.

Along with increased trade with the 40 Indo-Pacific countries, Canada also plans to beef up its military presence in the region and invest in cyber security.

Minister of International Development, Harjit Sarjjan, spoke about ‘Operation Projection’.

“That’s an operation for the military to have naval presence within the region consistently. And what this strategy does is actually even increase our presence. So [National Defence] Minister [Anita] Anand will be authorizing greater ships within the region,” Sarjjan explained.

Parliamentary Secretary Arif Virani added that about a $40 million investment will be going into cyber security “because we know that some of this warfare and some of this misinformation, disinformation is spread by aggressive states online and through internet capacities.”

Canadian officials said they are closely watching the developments in the Philippines’ ongoing territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea, as well as the tensions between China and other Indo-Pacific countries.

Although Canadian military and naval presence will be expanded, Canada stressed that they will still continue efforts to try to bring China to the table.

“We will never bully,” Parliamentary Secretary Rob Oliphant noted. “What we will do is try to bring partners to the table to say these are our disputes that need to be solved diplomatically and can’t be done by aggression. And we are increasingly facing an aggressive China. It has always been that sense, but it is increasing and we’re following the South China Sea very closely.”

With almost a million Filipinos now calling Canada home, Ottawa said they value the people-to-people ties between the two countries and would like to use these ties to enhance trade, security,  economic opportunities, immigration and climate change response between the two nations.

“Next year will mark a really significant 75 years of diplomatic relations with the Philippines. Obviously, it is a huge diaspora in Canada; it’s the fastest growing diaspora. So those people to people ties are real and strong; the business ties are real and strong investment ties are real and strong, and we want to participate more,” Oliphant said.

 

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