By Jose Rafael Cesar C. Atencio
Successful.
This is how President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. described his four-day official visit to Canada, which yielded various opportunities for the Philippines.
Foremost is the elevation of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Canada to a strategic partnership which, the President said, will further deepen the good ties between the two countries.
The President told the media, “I have tasked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Maria Teresa Lázaro, to work together with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand to create a plan of action focusing on joint initiatives that will help both our countries adapt to shifting global realities, address shared challenges, and build capacities for future ready partnerships.”
The President also brought home investments after his series of meetings with Canadian business companies including B2 Gold Corporation, Oceana Gold Corporation, Telus Corporation, and NQX.
President Marcos Jr. likewise said engagements “in the sectors of mining, critical minerals, energy, services, and IT-BPM resulted in a combined US$2.5 billion in investment from Canadian partners. Thus, it is already timely that we presently are negotiating a free trade agreement with Canada, which we hope will further strengthen our economic cooperation once it enters into force.”
Better opportunities for the Philippines
The Philippines–Canada ties will also be strengthened following the signing of four agreements covering culture and arts, tourism, as well as labor and migration.
President Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Mark Carney also discussed enhancing opportunities for ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region. The President is confident that the regional ASEAN–Canada free trade agreement will be finalized this year.
The Chief Executive also expressed gratitude to his Canadian counterpart: “I also thank Prime Minister Carney for Canada’s vocal and consistent support in upholding the rule of law in the South China Sea, particularly on the basis of UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
I convey the hope that as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, Canada will continue to be one of the leading voices in upholding the award as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law.”
The President also welcomed Canada’s participation in the Luzon Economic Corridor and its initial investment pledge of 2 million Canadian dollars to support infrastructure, supply chain, and clean energy projects of the LEC.
President Marcos Jr. concluded, “This trip has truly been successful as we agreed on several initiatives between [the] government and the private sector. Hard work, though, does not end here. We will continue to strive so that what we achieved and started in Canada will flourish and be felt by more Filipinos.”
The Chief Executive returned to the Philippines on Sunday afternoon, as the aircraft carrying him and the members of the Philippine delegation arrived at 4:00 p.m. (with reports from Kenneth Paciente | PTV News)
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