Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit as the two countries continue to deepen friendly ties.
Trudeau’s office released a readout of the meeting that happened on October 10, 2024 in Vientiane, Laos, site of the ASEAN summit.
“The leaders highlighted the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Philippines, rooted in deep people-to-people ties,” the readout noted.
Diplomatic relations began in 1949, and Canada and the Philippines are marking the 75th year of bilateral ties in 2024.
The 2021 Census shows that close to one million people of Filipino heritage have made Canada their new home.
“President Marcos Jr. noted that the Canada-Philippines relationship is stronger than ever, and the two leaders discussed progress in different areas of bilateral co-operation, including defence, development assistance, trade, agriculture and agri-food, education, and clean technologies,” the readout also stated.
Moreover, Trudeau and Marcos “agreed to remain in close contact and looked forward to meeting again”.
Marcos is widely anticipated to come for a state visit in Canada this fall, which will serve as the highlight of the ongoing celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Trudeau invited Marcos to visit Canada on the margins of the ASEAN summit and related meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 6, 2023.
In November of the same year, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said that Marcos accepted the invitation.
“We will welcome President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on a state visit to Ottawa and other cities across Canada in the interest of deepening our ties at the very highest level to prioritize our work together and to chart an ambitious way forward,” Hartman said during the inaugural Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Ambassadors’ Lecture Series in Metro Manila.
Faith communities in Canada are among those anticipating Marcos’s Canadian visit.
Religious organizations have written Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and suggested that Trudeau should press Marcos about resuming peace talks with the revolutionary coalition National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
“Should such a visit occur, we urge Prime Minister Trudeau to use the opportunity to press strongly for the resumption of the peace talks and to clearly convey to President Marcos Jr. that the measures the Philippine government is taking to respect human rights and to bring about a resumption of the peace talks will be examined when Canada considers initiatives to deepen the relationship between the two countries,” faith leaders wrote in the letter dated October 1, 2024.
The letter was sent on behalf of the United Church of Canada, Anglican Church of Canada, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Evangelical Church in Canada, Development and Peace, Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the Philippine Independent Church.
An October 10, 2024 report by the Manila Bulletin featured remarks by Marcos and Trudeau.
“The relationship between Canada and the Philippines has not been closer in our entire history. It started with the people-to-people exchanges and has grown into much more than that,” Marcos said in the report.
For his part, Trudeau reiterated Canada’s commitment to work closely with the Philippines.
“I can’t think of two countries with deeper people-to-people ties in a way we’ve been working together over the past years on bringing them together even more, on growing the economy and creating opportunities,” Trudeau said in the Manila Bulletin report.
“Lots to do. More trade conversations we’ve been having… Talking about Free Trade Agreements and other things that are going to bring us even closer together. And of course, I look forward to continuing to work with you in the coming years,” Trudeau also said.
The ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization representing 10 member states, including the Philippines.
As a regional bloc, ASEAN is Canada’s fourth largest trading partner, with over $38.8 billion in bilateral trade in 2023.
The readout from the Trudeau-Marcos meeting noted that the two leaders “welcomed the upcoming Team Canada Trade Mission to the Philippines, planned for December, as well as progress in negotiations toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement”.
By Carlito Pablo
