Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday promised to “step up” in establishing infrastructure in ASEAN member nations, while proceedings on Parliament Hill are stalled due to corruption scandals. Parliament is waiting on the Trudeau Liberals to release to the RCMP a complete set of documents related to a $400 million conflict of interest related to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s green slush fund. The government was given 30 days to produce seven years of records pertaining to Sustainable Development Technologies Canada (SDTC).Trudeau, who flew to Laos for the two-day ASEAN summit along with his 10-year-old son, Haidian, said member countries face “numerous daunting challenges” and promised Canada would “be there” to help. Canada is not a member of ASEAN, which includes Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. .Since last year’s summit, said Trudeau at a meeting with ASEAN leaders Thursday, Canada has “opened an Indo-Pacific agriculture and agri food office in Manila,” “established three offices to facilitate export financing in Jakarta, Singapore and Manila, and is about to open a federally-owned Findev Canada office in Singapore “to support sustainable infrastructure investments throughout the region.”Trudeau further noted Canada has “invested” in programs that bring students from member states to study in Canada, before announcing he plans to establish embassies in Vientiane, Laos and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.“All of this builds on our Indo-Pacific strategy, which recognizes ASEAN Central and its growing role in the region, and it's delivering real, tangible progress — progress that means more business opportunities, more middle class jobs and a higher quality of life for all our citizens,” said Trudeau. .Data from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) slates ASEAN as Canada’s fourth-largest trading partner, with more than $38.8 billion in bilateral trade in 2023. The purpose of Trudeau’s trip, according to the PMO, was to renew Canada’s “commitment toward building a fairer, more prosperous future for people on both sides of the Pacific” and “underscore the importance of sustainable long-term growth that works for everyone, empowers women and girls, and is anchored in the clean energy transition.”Trudeau’s government in December 2023 allocated the Philippines and the United Nations Development Program a whopping $5.3 billion to “fight climate change.”
