Mr. Speaker, this week and next the eyes of the world will be fixed upon Canada when it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, the culmination of Canada's year of Asia-Pacific.
The forum is a golden opportunity for Canada to help APEC move in a direction which reflects the needs and values of Canadians and to expand its influence in the region.
APEC members have a combined gross national product of $16 trillion U.S., which is about half the world's annual trade. Last year Canada's trade with APEC members, excluding the United States, reached $58.6 billion.
The Prime Minister has underlined the importance to Canada's economic future of bringing APEC to Canada for developments in Asia-Pacific touch the lives of Canadians more and more as a result of growing business, immigration and cultural ties.
Canada must commit itself, in addition to continued economic engagement, to learning more about the cultures of our neighbours thereby reinforcing economic co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region on the basis of shared partnership, shared responsibility and common good.