Fair enough. Okay.
Go ahead.
Evidence of meeting #88 for National Defence in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was region.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #88 for National Defence in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was region.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, Indo-Pacific Strategic Planning, Policy and Operations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Let me speak to that in general terms, because I don't have the specific data to address these issues in detail.
What I will say is that we're a trading nation. Our market access, which we have under our various trade agreements, is world-leading, and Canadian businesses are benefiting from that.
The Indo-Pacific strategy recognizes that this region in particular will be important for Canadian prosperity in the future. We recognize that the global middle class will be increasingly concentrated in the Indo-Pacific region. It will play an increasingly important role in supply chains.
We can anticipate that now and in the future, if we're not there, we will miss out on opportunities. It's a crowded space. That is why the Indo-Pacific strategy anticipates the need to engage in a commercial sense in the region.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
It's interesting that you talk about the global middle class, but ultimately a lot of these trade agreements will end up with working-class people suffering, certainly in terms of that progressive side that there was supposed to be. There were to be no major labour provisions. We're trading with countries that potentially have quite significant human rights abuses. There's no chapter on gender rights or indigenous rights.
In terms of those standards Canada is supposed to put forward, we continue to hear about the international world order and the battle for human rights as a part of that. Are we actually seeing that with the CPTPP?
Director General, Indo-Pacific Strategic Planning, Policy and Operations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Again, I can't speak specifically to the CPTPP. I'm not a trade policy expert or a trade negotiator, but I can say that, under the Indo-Pacific strategy, there are a couple of things in which we've invested money. One is labour standards. There is a provision within the Indo-Pacific strategy to provide capacity building for countries within the Indo-Pacific region to meet the labour standards set out in international trade agreements. That's something we're doing.
We have also signed the plan of action trust fund with ASEAN to fund the participation of ASEAN members in free trade negotiations between Canada and ASEAN.
There are things we are doing within the Indo-Pacific strategy to help countries in the region improve their standards. We also have, within the Indo-Pacific strategy, provisions to increase our development assistance. We have money that is designated to improve democracy and human rights in the region. The strategy has five strategic objectives. It covers areas included under human rights and democracy, and we'll continue to defend those things to try to improve the situation.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
That's very interesting as well, because China has applied to join. It seems as though they may be given membership. How does that now work in terms of increasing democracy? How do human rights and labour standards now factor into what may be that expanded CPTPP?
Director General, Indo-Pacific Strategic Planning, Policy and Operations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Again, I can't speak specifically to CPTPP or the potential for its expansion. I'm not sure if my colleague has any comments with respect to China specifically, but really we're not in a position to speak to the CPTPP specifically.
Executive Director, Greater China Political and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
May I add something?
Executive Director, Greater China Political and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
I would just say, in terms of accession for CPTPP, that of course China has applied to join CPTPP. As the chair of CPTPP this year, Canada is still working through the various processes and procedures with other members of CPTPP. It's a consensus-driven organization, so we have to work together with all the other members to plan that pathway forward. It's still under consideration.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you.
I'll shift to our DND folks, because I don't know how much time I have left—
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
With all of these increasing pressures in terms of what's going on in the region, we have a retention and recruitment crisis. How are we managing that in terms of our numbers?
MGen Gregory Smith
Mr. Chair, IPS actually tells us what to do. It's great. It gives us the resources to do it, and we're fairly confident that we'll continue to do that across the five lines of effort. I have good confidence that we'll continue to do that.
Outside, as was said, there are a lot of pressures around the world, but we have the resources and the direction to do so.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Ms. Mathyssen.
Mr. Bezan, before you begin, you have to say CPTPP three times fast.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to our witnesses. It's good to see all of you—General Smith, General Prévost and our colleagues from Global Affairs—back at our committee.
Talking about Operation Horizon and freedom of navigation, particularly in the Strait of Taiwan, in the South China Sea, how many frigates do we currently have deployed on this operation?
MGen Paul Prévost
Right now we have no frigates deployed in the region under Operation Horizon, but one will sail shortly. The strategy calls for three ships to be deployed every year, and our intent for 2024 is to have three ships in the region.
Conservative
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
If it's six months, will there be overlap? Will there be two ships at a time?
MGen Paul Prévost
That's correct. One will sail from the east coast shortly to go the long way around to the Asia-Pacific, and the other two ships will sail from the west coast this summer.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
How about our AOR supply ship Asterix? Has it been deployed, and will it be deployed again?
MGen Paul Prévost
We're still working on the final plan there. We'll inform the committee once we have it, but the Montréal is set to sail shortly.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Thank you.
When we look at the recent election in Taiwan and the increase in provocative actions taken by the PLA Navy as well as the PLA Air Force over the Taiwan Strait and around the island of Taiwan, have we encountered when we've been showing our frigates and doing freedom of navigation of the sea any hostile actions by the PLA against our assets?