Canada’s governor-general Mary Simon outlined the policy priorities of the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and among those was “making deliberate efforts to deepen partnerships in the Indo-Pacific”.

Earlier this month, Canada’s foreign ministry said to be working on a new policy for the Indo-Pacific. A spokesperson for Canada’s new foreign minister Melanie Joly said then that it will comprise “a new integrated approach to the Indo-Pacific region with a view to diversifying Canada’s engagement and deepening its diplomatic, economic, security and sustainable development partnerships”.

The Special secretariat tasked veteran diplomat Jonathan Fried to develop the Indo-Pacific policy.

Recently, Canada has also had discussions with India about the Indo-Pacific region. In fact, Fried recently met India’s high commissioner Ajay Bisaria in Ottawa.

Last week, Canada’s new defence minister Anita Anand while addressing International Security Forum said, “In the Indo-Pacific, Canadian military ships, aircraft, and sailors maintain a solid presence.”

She added that “through Operation Projection, Canadian warships work in lockstep with our partners to maintain a meaningful, and interoperable, allied presence in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world”, referring, in this context, to a recent “sail-through in the Taiwanese strait” in October.

Pressure has been increasing on Canada to be more assertive in the region even as the threat posed by China increases. This matter was also discussed when Trudeau met US President Joe Biden in Washington earlier this month.

Image Courtesy: Reuters