Trudeau pledges nearly $183-million to boost Canada’s presence in Indo-Pacific region

The Liberal government’s longpromised Indo-Pacific strategy will include new investments to strengthen the role the Canadian Armed Forces plays in the region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday in Thailand.

“This will support our allies, Japan and South Korea, and all of us in the Pacific,” Mr. Trudeau said Friday as he wrapped up his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.

The gathering had been sidetracked by the news that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters.

“This is completely unacceptable, and must not continue,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Bangkok.

The United States called an impromptu meeting with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, hosted by U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Mr. Trudeau told his five colleagues that Canada will continue its role in a UN mission, called Operation Neon, to monitor sanctions on North Korea.

“Canada joins our allies in condemning in the strongest terms the continued, irresponsible actions of North Korea,” he said.

Mr. Trudeau said the repeated missile launches “need to be condemned by all, in the region and around the world.”

Canada’s participation in the APEC gathering ended with a pledge of nearly $183-million in new funding over five years to strengthen ties to the region, part of the Indo-Pacific strategy the Liberals have finally started rolling out.

That includes $92.5-million to create about 60 new jobs, both at Canada’s missions in the region and within Global Affairs Canada.

“This will increase Canada’s presence here on the ground [and] deepen diplomatic ties to build and maintain the important relationships that we are creating,” International Trade Minister Mary Ng said Friday.

There is also $45-million for trade missions and about $32-million to set up Canada’s first agricultural office.

Before Mr. Trudeau was pulled aside to discuss North Korea’s move with other leaders, he announced that Ottawa will spend $13.5-million to launch a team in Canada and Asia to form energy partnerships.

“The need for clean energy and green infrastructure is also growing at a rapid pace here in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr. Trudeau said in his opening remarks at the news conference before taking questions from reporters.

“As the world moves toward net zero, there is enormous potential to grow our ties in the natural resources sector.”

While Mr. Trudeau previously spoke about expanding natural gas exports to Japan and Korea, his office said he also wants to exchange natural resources with India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

The new funding is part of the Indo-Pacific strategy that the Liberals have started gradually rolling out, after promising one for years.

Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said diplomats in Asia have told her about “the is

sue of Canada not always being a reliable partner, because sometimes we show up, and then we leave, and then we go back.”

Mr. Trudeau seemed to contradict Ms. Joly’s framing Friday.

“Canada is serious about this, this region, we have always been,” he said. “This opportunity to engage directly, to demonstrate our serious commitment with an Indo Pacific strategy [will] show that in terms of partnership and investments, we are very much present.”

After Mr. Trudeau’s visits to Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, he will be leaving the region for Tunisia, arriving Saturday morning for a weekend at the Francophonie summit.

The meeting will bring together leaders from countries and regions with large French-speaking populations to discuss everything from economic policy to the use of French in the digital age.

Mr. Trudeau is expected to meet with leaders from across Africa, many of whom are concerned about instability caused by soaring food costs, which the Liberals stress have been made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.