Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joined by Minister of International Trade Mary Ng after a news conference following his participation in the APEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Federal officials are set to make an announcement about Canada's long-promised Indo-Pacific strategy in Vancouver today. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

By Canadian Press

Canada Indo Pacific

Indo-Pacific strategy launch boosts military spending and visa processing in region

Nov 27, 2022 | 2:30 PM

The Liberals unveiled their long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, announcing more military spending and closer ties with countries such as India.

The strategy earmarks $2.3 billion for Canada to form closer ties with countries that span Pakistan to Japan, including some funding that the Liberals have announced in recent weeks.

“What you’re seeing today is a reorientation of our foreign policy (that) we haven’t seen in a long time,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters in Vancouver.

“It sends a clear message to the region that Canada is here, and they can trust that we’re here to stay.”

The new announcements include nearly a half-billion dollars to deploy more naval frigates to areas like the South China Sea and undertake military training with countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

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Canada will also increase its visa-processing capacity to improve a system plagued by delays that has experts fearing that talented youth in the region will move elsewhere.

That includes visa offices in New Delhi and Chandigarh, India as well as Islamabad, Pakistan and Manila, Philippines.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $92.5 million to create roughly 60 new diplomatic jobs in the region, but the strategy lists no target, and Joly did not specify whether plans have changed around that figure.

But the strategy does call for an expansion of diplomatic staff in existing embassies, as well as new posts in places such as Hawaii and Fiji.

That’s on top of recently announced plans to expand on trade ties with southeast Asian countries as a counterweight to China’s influence, including by financing infrastructure projects in developing countries.

“To secure this economic future, we need to have strong trading relationships and partners around the world to protect our jobs and businesses here at home,” International Trade Minister Mary Ng said at the press conference.

Ottawa will also send 200 experts to advise countries that want to work with Canada on everything from governance to oceans management and the transition off of fossil fuels.

On a recent trip to Asia, Trudeau unveiled cash for a team in Canada and Asia to form energy partnerships, more trade missions and Canada’s first agricultural office in the region.

The funding announced Sunday and in recent weeks spans five years, with no benchmarks for the rollout year over year.

Joly made the announcement in Vancouver flanked by Ng, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray and International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan who also heads Ottawa’s economic development agency for B.C.

Defence Minister Anita Anand will speak with reporters later on Sunday.

The Liberals will have bureaucrats explain the details of their strategy Monday in a technical briefing; these events usually take place ahead of a ministerial announcement.