As Honorable Minister Melanie Joly has announced this morning in Vancouver, the Government of Canada is moving forward with a new Indo-Pacific Strategy that will bring in $2.3 billion in investments over the next 5 years to strengthen Canada’s relationship with the Indo-Pacific region. This plan involves every facet of our society. This policy can be accessed here: Canada’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific.
“The future of the Indo-Pacific is our future; we have a role to play in shaping it. To do so, we need to be a true, reliable partner. Today, we are putting forward a truly Canadian strategy—one that involves every facet of our society. It sends a clear message to the region that Canada is here, and they can trust we are here to stay,” Minister Joly said.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy targets five main objectives:
- Peace, resiliency, and security
- Expanded trade, investment, and supply-chain resilience
- Investing in and connecting people
- Building a sustainable and green future
- Canada as an active and engaged partner in the Indo-Pacific
Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said, “The Indo-Pacific region is vital for Canada’s immigration and will continue to be in the future. Today’s announcement brings significant new funding to help boost Canada’s visa application processing capacity at home and abroad. As we look to record growth in admissions in the years ahead, this funding will help promote greater diversity among those looking to work and study in Canada.” - Member of Parliament for Brampton Centre, Shafqat Ali, organized a round table at his constituency office this evening with local ethnic media and community stakeholders. MP Maninder Sidhu, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, MP Sonia Sidhu, and MP Ruby Sahota also joined. MP Maninder Sidhu updated the media on the announcement.
The media roundtable was focused on Canada’s investment in enhancing visa processing center in Islamabad, Pakistan, to support stronger people-to-people ties. $74.6 million will be invested to enhance the visa processing capacity within Canada’s centralized network in the Indo-Pacific region including the cities of Islamabad, New Delhi, Chandigarh, and Manila.
Further, MP Ali discussed the impact of the new Indo-Pacific Strategy on the Pakistani community in Canada and its effects on the South and Southeast Asian Diaspora. After MP Maninder Sidhu’s details regarding the policy, MP Ali thanked the media and stakeholders for their time.
