Report

The Honourable Senator Yuen Pau Woo, the Honourable Senator Krista Ross, and the Honourable Senator Clément Gignac, participated in the 45th General Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly from October 17-22, 2024, in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. They were joined by Michael MacPherson, Executive Secretary of the Canada-China Legislative Association and the Canada-Japan Interparliamentary Group. ASEAN member countries take turns chairing the organization, which includes organizing and hosting various meetings, such as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Canada has participated in these annual meetings on many occasions over the past 40 years, most recently at the 44th Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2023. The objectives of Canada’s involvement are to:

• maintain regular contact with member countries and discuss issues specific to the Asia-Pacific region;

• network with parliamentarians in the region;

• present the views of Canadian parliamentarians on various topics; and

• strengthen Canada’s international presence, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Of the 10 ASEAN member countries, all were represented in some form at the General Assembly: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries or regional governments that have observer status in the General Assembly, like Canada, were also present: Australia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Cuba, the European Parliament, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, Norway, Russian Federation, Timor-Leste, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United States of America. Also present this year were a few groups of researchers, and members of the AIPA and ASEAN secretariats. Lastly, the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as the German Bundestag, were accredited as Observers of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) during the Assembly.

BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE EMBASSY OF CANADA TO LAO PDR

The delegation met with Kent Vachon, the Canadian Chargé d’Affaires to Lao PDR. Mr. Vachon spoke about Canada-Laos relations, domestic developments in Laos and the region, and explained future plans with regard to the recent announcement by Prime Minister that Canada would upgrade its office to open a full embassy in Vientiane.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM

Meeting between representatives of the National Assembly of Lao PDR and the Canadian Delegation

On the morning of October 18, the Canadian delegates were invited to a meeting with H.E. Dr. Leeber Leebouapao, Chairman, Planning, Finance and Audit Committee, National Assembly of Lao PDR. This meeting allowed Senator Woo to thank the hosts for their hospitality, briefly discuss Canada’s participation in the General Assembly and reiterate the commitment of Canadian parliamentarians to Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Senator Woo spoke about the plans for Canada to elevate its mission in Lao PDR to a full embassy. Chairman Leebouapao spoke of the national strategy of transforming from landlocked to land linked, mainly through high-speed rail. Chairman Leebouapao also indicated that he would host the dialogue session with AIPA observers in which Canada would be making a statement. Senator Woo also congratulated the delegates from Lao PDR for the success of the AIPA General Assembly and again thank them for their warm hospitality.

Meeting between representatives of the AIPA Secretariat, UN Women and the Canadian Delegation

In the afternoon of October 18, the Canadian delegates met with representatives of the AIPA secretariat as well as representatives from UN Women. H.E. Ar. Siti Rozaimeriyanty Dato Haji Abdul Rahman, Secretary General, led the AIPA secretariat delegation. The Secretary General spoke of advancing women in political leadership, linking intergenerational leadership, as well as the links between women’s issues and society to representation. Senator Woo noted that Canada is very supportive of these initiatives. He also indicated that the Senate of Canada has a majority of women senators, and that the positions of Speaker of the Senate and Clerk of the Senate were held by women.  He also indicated that Canadian parliamentarians, especially women parliamentarians such as Senator Ross, would be keen to support the work of AIPA in advancing women in political leadership.

Courtesy Call on H.E. Xaysomphone PHOMVIHANE, President of the National Assembly of Lao PDR and President of AIPA, by Heads of AIPA Member Parliaments, AIPA Observer Parliaments, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN and Secretary General of AIPA, Heads of Guests of the Host and AIPA Development Partners

In the morning of October 19, prior to the official opening of the General Assembly, the Canadian delegates attended a courtesy call with H.E. Xaysomphone Phomvihane, President of the National Assembly of Lao PDR. As host of the General Assembly, H.E. Xaysomphone Phomvihane welcomed all of the delegates.

First plenary session

Following the General Assembly’s opening ceremony hosted by H.E. Xaysomphone PHOMVIHANE, President of the National Assembly of Lao PDR and President of AIPA, the first plenary session began the afternoon of October 19. ASEAN member countries delivered statements on behalf of their delegations, as did the observer countries. On behalf of the delegation, Senator Woo, the head of delegation for Canada, addressed the participants in the General Assembly on the significance of the relationship between Southeast Asia and Canada, highlighting Canada’s recent Indo-Pacific Strategy and efforts to build stronger ties in trade, investment, educational and cultural exchanges. He noted that evidence of the significance of the relationship was demonstrated by the recent attendance of Canada’s Prime Minister to the ASEAN-Canada Summit in Indonesia in September 2023, as well as his visit to Vientiane, Lao PDR, a week prior to the General Assembly. Senator Woo explained that ensuring that people-to-people connections continue to grow is among the core objectives of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. He also described that parliamentary diplomacy and such forums as AIPA are essential for working together on shared goals within the Southeast Asian region and with other jurisdictions around the world. Senator Woo also described the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) program which provides opportunities for students from ASEAN member states to conduct short-term study or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions in areas that contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The speech was well received by all the other countries’ delegates, who congratulated Canada on its contribution.

Dialogues with AIPA observer countries

This activity was central to Canada’s participation in the General Assembly. Observer countries had sessions to meet bilaterally with representatives of selected ASEAN member countries as well as in a formal session with ASEAN parliamentarians collectively. The group meeting was held on October 20 and was hosted by H.E. Dr. Leeber Leebouapao, Chairman, Planning, Finance and Audit Committee, National Assembly of Lao PDR. The theme for this year's dialogue with AIPA observer countries was “Parliamentary Cooperation towards Integration and Inclusive Growth”. The Canadian delegation exchanged views with each of the participating AIPA Member Parliaments on the topic. The focus was on identifying effective mechanisms to enhance parliamentary collaboration among ASEAN and Canada in order to promote quality of life, barriers to equitable access to opportunities by ASEAN people, economic growth, digital transformation and technology innovation, sectoral cooperation, and the protection human rights.

Senator Woo led the conversation for the delegation, and all members were able to participate in the discussion. After the opening remarks from all sides, the conversation took a more general turn, also dealing with emphasizing the need of enhancing cooperation to promote trade, investments, and support essential sectors, including tourism, services and banking, with the goal of developing increased integration and encouraging inclusive growth. Senator Woo noted that Malaysia would be assuming the chair of AIPA in 2025 and expressed Canada’s desire to work closely with Malaysian counterparts in the run up to next years General Meeting.

Second plenary session

The second plenary session took place on the afternoon of October 21, followed by the closing ceremonies. During this session, the rapporteurs of the various committees presented the plenary assembly with the reports of their respective proceedings, debates, and resolutions. The rapporteurs’ presentations were followed by the representatives of the various member countries signing the joint communiqué that not only details the decisions taken, but also highlights the Annual Assembly’s achievements with regard to regional cooperation and solidarity.

Participation in the AIPA Annual Assembly helped Canadian delegates maintain contact with representatives from various countries. It was also an opportunity for the Canada–Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group and the Canada–China Legislative Association to maintain regular contact with parliamentarians from Asian countries at times other than during co-chair visits and bilateral meetings, in a different context and with aims that vary from those usually observed during strictly bilateral meetings.

BILATERAL MEETINGS ON THE SIDELINES OF THE OFFICIAL EVENTS

As is generally the case, the Canadian delegates met with a variety of delegates, both officially and informally, in order to maximize the impact of Canada’s presence at AIPA.

Meeting with the delegates from Ukraine

The delegation was once again pleased to meet with the representatives from Ukraine. The two sides conducted a frank and open conversation about the war in Ukraine and the many challenges the country faces due to the illegal Russian invasion. The delegates reaffirmed Canada’s steadfast support of Ukraine and agreed to take any actions they could to buttress Ukrainian sovereignty.

Meeting with the delegates from China

The discussions between Canada and China were cordial and candid. China reiterated that it views Canada as a partner and suggested that Canada-China should enhance their exchanges in order to promote its relationship. The delegates all agreed that there are many issues that have broad consensus between the two countries and which could allow for near term cooperation and exchanges, including among parliamentarians from both sides.  The Chinese side indicated that it was planning a visit from members of the National People’s Congress to Canada in 2025.

Meeting with the delegates from Japan

The two sides had a fulsome discussion, with a focus on the many issues of common interest as well as the strong relationship between Canada and Japan. The delegates also spoke of the importance of stability in relations with larger economic countries. They also touched on issues such as housing stability and immigration.

Meeting with the delegates from Vietnam

The delegations both expressed strong desires to deepen relationships between Canada and Vietnam, in particular with regard to trade. The Vietnamese delegates noted that Canada is a favourite destination for students to study abroad. Talks also touched on Vietnam’s growing EV industry as well as development of new high speed rail projects. They also discussed how to best meet and respond to the current climate change challenges facing the world as Vietnam is particularly vulnerable.

Meeting with the delegates from Türkiye

The Canadian and Turkish delegations met to discuss the increase in economic relations between Türkiye and Canada. The head of the Turkish delegation noted that economic relations were over $3B in 2023 and hoped that it would reach $5B in the coming years. Türkiye’s Asia initiative is crucial for their foreign policy. They have ambassadors in every ASEAN country. The delegates from Canada noted that Canada sees Türkiye as being a peaceful nation with the ability to hopefully promote peace and stability in its region.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Canada’s participation in the 45th ASEAN General Assembly allowed parliamentarians to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to the member countries. It also provided the delegates an opportunity to meet parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific region, and other parts of the world, as well as engage in productive discussions that were beneficial to Canada and its diplomatic outreach internationally. The 46th General Assembly will be held in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and it will be important for Canada to participate in order to build on what was accomplished at this year’s meetings.

Travel Expenses

Travel expenses associated with this activity can be found in the delegation’s financial report. This report is available in the Financial Disclosure section of the Parliamentary Diplomacy website.

Respectfully submitted,