Foreign Affairs Committee on June 16th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 41 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on Thursday, June 11, 2026, the committee is meeting to study the subject matter of the main estimates 2026-27 and the supplementary estimates (A) 2026-27.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format pursuant to the Standing Orders.

I would now like to officially welcome our witnesses for the first hour.

Appearing in person, we have the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs. From the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, we have Arun Thangaraj, deputy minister; Sara Wilshaw, senior assistant deputy minister, international trade and chief trade commissioner; Alexandre Lévêque, assistant deputy minister, Europe, Middle East and Arctic branch; Robert Brookfield, director general of sanctions and strategic export controls; and Shirley Carruthers, assistant deputy minister and chief financial officer, people and corporate management branch.

I now invite the minister to deliver her opening remarks for up to five minutes.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.

Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank the public service. It is National Public Service Week, and to the public servants who work here, ensuring that this committee and other facets of the parliamentary process run well, thank you so much.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the main estimates 2026‑27 and the supplementary estimates (A).

Global Affairs Canada has asked for a total of $7.2 billion in budgetary spending, which reflects $6.8 billion in voted expenditures and $400 million in statutory expenditures. The supplementary estimates (A) increased this request by an additional $23.9 million.

Through principled pragmatism, we are strengthening our alliances, we're diversifying our partnerships in terms of trade, and we are championing multilateralism.

Our goal is simple. We want to ensure that Canada's international engagement leads to greater security, resilience and prosperity for Canadians here at home. Canada is transforming its economy to make it stronger and more resilient to global shocks. Over the past year, our government has established more than 20 economic and security partnerships across five continents. It has opened up access to a market of 1.5 billion new consumers.

Canada is on course to double our market access this year through our trade agreements with India, ASEAN, Mercosur, Thailand and the Philippines. The government aims to double non-U.S. trade and catalyze $1 trillion in investment in Canada over the next five years in energy, transportation, data and defence, to name just a few sectors that we are focusing on.

As we diversify our trade partnerships, we must never lose sight of our core values and, above all, our commitment to human rights. Our trade must reflect these values. Forced labour has no place in Canadian supply chains or in the products on our shelves.

No one person, let alone many, should be trapped in an exploitative employment relationship so that others can benefit from lower costs. Canadians want confidence that our whole economy is built on fairness, not human exploitation. That is why last week we introduced Bill C-35, the ban on importing goods made with forced labour. The legislation is going to give the CBSA broader authority to enforce prohibitions, establish a public list of at-risk goods and require supply chain tracing before such goods can enter Canada. It's going to place the onus on importers to prove that their goods are free from forced labour.

This is Canada standing up for human rights, and this is Canada standing up for workers' rights, Mr. Chair. We're demonstrating to other middle powers that you don't have to choose between strong trade and strong values. We're delivering both.

Moving to humanitarian assistance, Canada's foreign policy is grounded in principled pragmatism, advancing national interests while remaining firmly anchored in our values. Humanitarian assistance is a core pillar of this approach. Canada has committed more than $450 million to support stability in Haiti. Canada has committed more than $13 million to Cuba.

For Sudan, the amount is over $120 million. For Lebanon, it's $37.7 million.

Our government must always ensure that we remain committed to supporting humanitarian assistance around the world.

In a world marked by uncertainty and instability, Canada's approach is clear. We'll strengthen our economic foundations, support our alliances and remain true to our values.

We will be disciplined in our choices, strategic in our partnerships and steady in our commitments. That is how Canada will remain secure at home and credible abroad.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you for your statement, Minister.

I now open the floor to questions from members, beginning with Mr. Michael Chong.

You have six minutes.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for appearing.

I have two questions on Taiwan, and then I'll go on to other questions.

MP Judy Sgro indicated that she will lead a delegation of MPs to Taiwan this fall.

If MP Sgro is sanctioned, will you commit to publicly defending the long-standing practice of Canadian MPs going to Taiwan?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

Yes, I will, of course.

I base that point of view on the independence of Parliament and parliamentary privilege, which are both pillars of Canada's democracy. Members of Parliament and senators have a long-standing practice of visiting Taiwan and, indeed, choosing the jurisdictions they wish to travel to in order to represent Canadian interests and values.

Successive Canadian governments have in fact maintained respect for the one China policy. That policy remains unchanged. However, within that framework, Canada and Taiwan maintain significant economic, cultural and people-to-people ties.

As I reiterated at the beginning of my response, I will always stand up for our parliamentarians. That applies in the member's case, as well as to the member he mentioned.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Thank you.

Can you tell us when the Canada-Taiwan trade co-operation framework agreement is going to be finalized?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

I want to begin this response by indicating that there are strong economic ties between Canada and Taiwan. Taiwan is ranked as Canada's 15th-largest global merchandise trading partner and the sixth-largest in Asia, with two-way merchandise trade totalling about $9 billion.

The framework arrangement the honourable member of Parliament mentioned is not within my purview as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I will continue to advocate strong trade relations, as the economic relationship already exemplifies.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

I appreciate that answer. I would note that, under the framework legislation for the act, you are the lead minister over and above other ministers, such as the Minister of International Trade.

I have a question relating to the protection of diplomats in Canada.

As you know, earlier this year there was a shooting at a U.S. consulate. A recently unsealed U.S. indictment indicates that U.S. authorities believe the shooting is related to an IRGC or Iranian regime-linked network. You are responsible, under the Vienna Convention, for the protection of foreign missions here in Canada.

Can you tell us if there is a link between the U.S. consulate shooting and the Iranian regime?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

I want to start by underlining the importance with which we take the security and safety of not only Canadians but also the foreign diplomats who are operating and representing their respective countries on Canadian soil.

I want to add that the IRGC is a listed terrorist entity under Canadian law. We take that relationship on the terms you have seen via that listing, as well as not having diplomatic relations with Iran for well over 10 years.

In response to the question, the RCMP is working on this case. The investigation is proceeding. I am personally not part of that investigation. As you can imagine, the rule of law mandates that the executive branch of government not play into the process of independent investigations.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Understood.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

I don't have information to divulge.

I would like to close my answer by expressing deep sympathy to the family of the officer who was killed.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Understood. Thank you.

Do you have any information that would link the U.S. consulate shooting to an Iranian-linked network?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

As I indicated, in an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate for me to speculate. I do not have information.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Okay. Thank you. I wasn't asking you to violate the sub judice convention or to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation. It was just a question about whether or not you have information linking the Iranian regime to that shooting.

Another question I have—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you. I'm sorry. We're just over time.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

It's six and a half minutes, isn't it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

I'm sorry. You're right. You have one more minute. I apologize.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My final question is this. It's been two years, as in 24 months, since Bill C-70 was adopted by Parliament into law. The government officials at the time indicated that they hoped it would be up and running within 12 months. It's now almost two years later.

While I know that you're not the public safety minister, Foreign Affairs has an important interest in this bill, seeing as it counters foreign interference. Can you tell us when this registry will be up and running?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

Mr. Chair, my honourable colleague was in the House when that very question was put to the Minister of Public Safety. We've been absolutely clear that Canada's sovereignty must be respected. The minister has been clear that we will be vigilant in our efforts to combat the spread of foreign influence at all levels of government. All this work will culminate in the establishment of that registry.

You have seen that we have made an appointment relating to the first foreign influence transparency commissioner in Anton Boegman. The work continues. We will continue to ensure that this particular policy effort is brought to its rightful conclusion with the establishment of the commission, with that individual as the foreign interference commissioner.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

Next is MP Rob Oliphant.

You have six minutes.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Now for some tougher questions, which is what we like to do.

Minister, in your plans you talked a lot about the Arctic and Arctic sovereignty. You indicated that we will be looking at two consulates. You opened one in Nuuk, and you are looking at one in Anchorage. Can you talk about the importance of the Arctic in terms of our foreign policy and in terms of our strategic positioning in the world?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

Thank you for the question.

Remember that, when I was the minister of National Defence, I made it a top priority to work on protecting the Arctic and ensuring its sovereignty.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I'm now continuing this work. I can assure you that I'll be working with Canada's current Minister of National Defence, Mr. McGuinty.

I'll also work with the other countries that believe in the need for Arctic sovereignty, especially given the current geopolitical situation. We're currently seeing a Russian threat near the Arctic Circle.

I have been working closely with our like-minded partners—Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland—to ensure that we are together advocating for greater NATO focus on the Arctic. Indeed, in Sweden recently, the United States joined a meeting of those countries. We together issued a statement that indicates and underlines our forward-looking work together, given that the geopolitical environment is indeed seeing the Russian threat moving further and further north towards the Arctic Circle.

I will also say on the NATO point that, yes, NATO came forward with an operation called Arctic Sentry earlier this year. That is on a permanent-presence basis. That is a very important initiative. Indeed, when I was opening the consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, earlier this year, it was very important to discuss not only Canada's commitment but also NATO's commitment to the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland. At the same time, NATO should have a full-blown strategy relating to the Arctic. Sentry is not a strategy. It is an exercise in operation. I raised this issue with Secretary General Mark Rutte and in the meeting in Sweden, as I just mentioned, of the “Arctic seven”. We will be working with like-minded countries within NATO towards that full-blown strategy for NATO on the Arctic.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

This committee has done quite a bit of work on the Arctic foreign policy. One of our requests of the government is for constant engagement with the people of the north, including the territorial governments as well as first nations and Inuit governments. Can you advise the committee on whether or not those people will still have an ongoing consultative role in your evolution of the Arctic foreign policy?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East, ON]

Absolutely. Yes, always. The gist of my conversations with the ICPC, with Natan Obed, and indeed across our government, including with, for example, Minister Gull-Masty, Minister Alty and Minister Chartrand, has been to ensure that the rollout of our Arctic strategy will always involve a focus on indigenous voices, as well as to ensure that the economic benefits that will no doubt accrue as we work towards 3.5%—this is the work that's ongoing—will include work with indigenous peoples. We recently appointed an Arctic ambassador, Virginia Mearns, and she's been doing a wonderful job making sure that we have those liaisons in place.

Dual-use infrastructure is going to bring economic benefits to the north—the Prime Minister has been clear about that—and indeed having indigenous voices at the table, Inuit in particular, is going to be very important.

I'd like to thank all of the Inuit who have been working with us on this strategy. I've had a number of meetings with them, including in Nuuk, Greenland, when they came to see the raising of the Canadian flag in Nuuk. I'd like to thank them for coming and for the engagement.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

I would just note that today in the House, we recognized members of the Canadian Armed Forces, including rangers. I thought that was very good.

I'm probably out of time. I would just say thank you for your work, and thank you to your team, who so often support us here at this committee with so many of our questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.