Foreign Affairs Committee on June 4th, 2026

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

I'll start off with Mr. Mujanović. I'm really happy to see you here and to have your testimony.

We heard a lot of great testimony today and a lot about how important the region is. I'd like to recall that Canada had at one point in time put many troops into the region of the western Balkans. There were 40,000 there. We lost 23 lives. We did invest a lot into the region. We're talking today about what we can do in terms of focusing into the future.

America has been mentioned. Can you just elaborate a bit on the U.S. approach and how it's changed over the last recent years? Can you just share a bit about that?

[Dr. Jasmin Mujanović]

I think the quickest way to describe it is that there is official U.S. policy, and then there is what observers are seeing on the ground. There's a significant decoupling of the two.

There was a very significant piece of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress a few months ago, called the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act, which has allowed the U.S. Congress a much greater platform to essentially provide oversight over what the State Department and the administration are doing.

We've had the first of those reports submitted just a couple of days ago, and we've had a hearing by Secretary Rubio over the last two days that has also given some sense of what the policy of the administration is. Again, the problem is that what the administration has been saying and what we've been seeing on the ground are not in line.

The most significant policy shift, obviously, was the sanctions relief for Mr. Dodik and the secessionist authorities in BiH. We've also seen a kind of, I would say, subcontracting out of U.S. policy. I've mentioned this company that is incorporated in Wyoming as of a few months ago, which has been incorporated directly into Bosnian law. It is now supposedly going to be building this pipeline. It has no known funds. Its principals are directly tied to some senior political figures.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

What can we here in Canada do to help bolster our situation?

[Dr. Jasmin Mujanović]

I think there are two things.

There needs to be Canadian coordination with our European and British allies. We're seeing that play out right now. The Europeans are actually trying to provide a distinct regional policy that the U.S. is pushing back on. We're seeing that right now with the attempted appointment of a new high representative in Bosnia. That's number one.

For number two, as we spoke about a few minutes ago, Canada does actually have a self-interest in the region. It's not just that there are large western Balkan diaspora communities that have significant economic investments in the region and that would be interested in seeing greater engagement by Canada. It's also a potential market for Canadian energy firms and Canadian construction firms. I would also specifically highlight Canadian defence production. Roshel, which is an APC producer out of Ontario, if I'm not mistaken, has been providing APCs for a number of local governments. Canadian industrial presses are being sold in the region to help munitions firms get off the ground. This is something that Canada can do a lot more of.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you.

Now I'll go to Ms. Bishop.

I really enjoyed hearing your words and hearing how you worked with my colleague Ms. Vandenbeld, whom I've been working with over the last few years now and have learned a lot from.

I picked up on something that you mentioned in your testimony. You said that targeted peacebuilding investments are important. Do you have any in mind that you'd like to elaborate upon?

[Jo-Anne Bishop]

One of the main ones is the peacebuilding fund. This is a large-scale pooled fund under the Secretary-General.

I think sustained investment in that fund and continuing to prioritize the western Balkans.... There are questions as funds are shrinking about where to invest those decreasing peacebuilding funds across the UN, and there are other countries that are also in the midst of conflict or war.

I think building that case for the continued investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina is important—

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Certainly, and you spoke about multi-year funding.

That's quite critical, isn't it?

[Jo-Anne Bishop]

Yes. That is very critical, because often there is a tendency towards projectized approaches, and we know that those do not advance system-level change. They often overlap.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Certainly.

Going back to your personal story, Anita was sharing her personal story about the international youth internship program, which both of you participated in. How important was that for you personally in your current trajectory, in terms of what you're doing today as compared to if that had not existed?

[Jo-Anne Bishop]

If it hadn't existed, I wouldn't be where I am now.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Zuberi.

Thank you to all of our witnesses for appearing in front of us today. Your testimony has been valuable, and I'm certain it will be incorporated into our study as it continues.

Members of the committee, thank you very much for your interventions and questions today.

Without further ado, this meeting is adjourned.