There are several pieces in response to that question. We know that a lack of infrastructure is one of the biggest brakes on economic development in any region. We know in particular that in Asia the infrastructure financing gap is approximately $1.7 trillion per year. In the absence of addressing that gap, economic development will be slowed in that region. That means on a slightly more inward-focused commercial perspective there are fewer opportunities for Canadian companies and less ability for Canadian companies to be able to move products to market and then move products back the other way into Canada.
From a purely international development perspective we also know that in the absence of economic growth, countries aren't able to sustain reliably strong and good governance: strong in good public health care systems, education systems, the justice sector. An example of that is that if there's not strong economic growth, there's not a strong and reliable tax base. That can translate into, for example, police officers not being paid a living wage, which makes them more susceptible to corruption, which in turn creates a negative investment climate in that country, and then the cycle continues.
We know that economic development is the foundation for growing strong countries, and we need stable, strong countries to be allies and to help ensure a stable international order, which Canada quite frankly depends upon to be able to function internationally.