Thank you, Madam Chair.
Welcome, Minister and officials from the department. Thank you for all the hard work you have been doing in meeting with many around the world to promote Canada's trade.
Over the past year, our committee has discussed at length the importance of a potential Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement and the benefit it would have for Canadian companies and exporters. I know you have been in discussions with ASEAN and you have visited the region on more than one occasion. Most recently, you travelled to Indonesia, where you met with a number of Indonesian government officials to strengthen bilateral trade as Canada and Indonesia celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relationship this year.
You were extremely busy on this trip, meeting with many colleagues in the Indo-Pacific. Can you share some of the highlights and major takeaways from these meetings? How did they work to benefit Canadian businesses back home?