Minister Garneau speaks with counterparts during the Canada-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference

August 5, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated virtually on August 4, 2021, in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference in Brunei.

Minister Garneau congratulated Brunei on its successful chairmanship, in an unprecedented year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted Canada’s strong support for ASEAN in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The Minister underscored the strategic importance of the relationship between Canada and ASEAN, based on an enduring partnership of shared interests and cooperation that has spanned over 44 years. He highlighted opportunities for enhancing collaboration with ASEAN member states in several areas, including political and security, as well as trade and economic cooperation, notably a possible Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. 

The Minister reiterated that Canada remains a strong and reliable supporter of ASEAN, given the organization’s central role in the region, and that Canada will continue to promote a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in its engagement with all ASEAN member states. This included underlining Canada’s full support for ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus on finding a durable solution to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. In this regard, the Minister welcomed ASEAN’s appointment of Dato Erywan Yusof of Brunei as Special Envoy to Myanmar and reaffirmed Canada’s support for a dialogue process inclusive of all key stakeholders. The Minister concluded by emphasizing Canada’s commitment to deepening the partnership between Canada and ASEAN to make further advances in the months and years ahead.

Associated link

• Canada and ASEAN