Marc Garneau is the incoming Canadian co-chair of the Canada-Korea Forum. He was previously the Liberal member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount and served as minister of transport and minister of foreign affairs, where he contributed to the development of the Indo-Pacific strategy.
Canada’s relationships with other countries are driven by various priorities, including the shared challenge of climate change, the need for collective security, and, yes, trade. After all, as a trading nation, our prosperity depends on our ability to sell our goods to the rest of the world.
Historically, Canada has done so by focusing on our neighbour to the south and countries across the Atlantic. And while Canada moved assertively in the 1990s to be part of the rapidly growing Asia Pacific economic community, that effort fell away in the decade that followed. Now, we find ourselves playing catch-up in the Indo-Pacific, the most dynamic economic region in the world – and to put it bluntly, we are late coming to the table. We must now double down in our efforts to build lasting partnerships with governments and businesses that will create new markets for our goods and services.
Fortunately, we have plenty to offer, providing that business and government work together. That being said, it will take more than trade missions to achieve our objectives. It will require serious engagement at several other levels.
First and foremost is the need for a robust presence on the ground and an intimate knowledge about those with whom we engage. In this area, Canadians have work to do. We must better understand the local context, including the history, culture and sensitivities of the people we are dealing with. We must avoid being arrogant or preachy, which can rub countries the wrong way. Equally important, we must dispel the fear that there is less than meets the eye in our new Indo-Pacific strategy, and prove that we intend to be serious long-term players in the region. This means strengthening people-to-people relations, including through tourism and student exchanges, and building a comprehensive knowledge base in federal and provincial ministries, the business sector, academia and society. These things will take time and should be prioritized. The good news is that one in five Canadians has roots in the Indo-Pacific.
Canada is a Pacific country, and so it is also in our national interests to contribute to regional security, including the physical security of maritime trade routes to ensure that supply chains are not compromised. That means beefing up our defence spending – not cutting it – to ensure an active defence presence in the region.
Canada has established a strategic partnership with the 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and is pursuing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, with a population of 272-million and a GDP of $1.5-trillion. But while these new initiatives are essential, Canada must also strengthen its existing relations with Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Our relationship with Korea stands out. We share democratic values and a very similar approach to foreign policy. We benefit from strong people-to-people ties, strengthened when Canada sent more than 26,000 Canadians to fight in the Korean War, with 516 sacrificing their lives. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Korea in May, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol travelled to Ottawa and Toronto last year. Canada has had a free-trade agreement with Korea since 2014 – our first in Asia – as well as a science and technology agreement. Both countries want to strengthen trade and investment, exemplified by Korea’s significant investments in EV batteries and critical mineral development in Canada. Both share a strong interest in areas such as AI and clean-energy technologies.
Ottawa must now focus on taking its relations with Korea to the next level. It would also make sense for Canada to seek to join the trilateral co-operation partnership established earlier this year between the U.S., Japan and Korea.
And then there is the matter of India. From time to time, two countries with a long-standing relationship can clash over an issue. If the facts bear out the Prime Minister’s allegations about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, then India has committed an unacceptable transgression of Canada’s sovereignty. It must be held accountable. In the meantime, prospects for closer ties in trade, investment or security appear to be on hold.
That being said, there are critical geopolitical factors to consider. This requires us to remain engaged with India while seeking a resolution to the current impasse. Diplomacy requires a pragmatic and clear-eyed approach.
We are living in the Indo-Pacific century. As a Pacific country, our objective should be nothing short of establishing ourselves as a serious, long-term player in the region by vigorously following through on our Indo-Pacific strategy. Our future depends on it.