Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much for putting such an important emphasis on the ocean's role in climate change. I will say, in the context of the Indo-Pacific strategy's shared ocean fund, that although fighting IUU fishing is the primary work, what we are also looking at is how the shared ocean fund can support biodiversity and sustain ocean ecosystems, including in the face of climate change.

Canada-China Relations committee  This particular issue falls largely within the responsibility of my colleagues at Transport Canada. I can note that, last year, Canada co-sponsored with Chile the Americas for the Protection of the Ocean, which was endorsed at the Summit of the Americas and protects our Pacific Ocean through a network of conservation measures.

Canada-China Relations committee  I'm going to turn to my colleague, Brent Napier, who can talk to you about the Canadian best practices that are valued by our colleagues in the region.

Canada-China Relations committee  As you said, the Indo-Pacific region is an important market for Canadian fish and seafood. It accounts for 23% of our total exports. It's also an important import source for Canada, representing $2.47 billion. In this context of trade, we work very closely with Global Affairs Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which lead on this particular pillar of the strategy.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think that, in that context, there are a lot of efficiencies and gains that can be done by having a very strong Canadian brand for sustainability, and I hope that our fish and seafood sector is an important part of that Canadian brand. I think we'd want to be engaged in that larger effort more broadly.

Canada-China Relations committee  Canada is an important supplier of crab in the Indo-Pacific region. Our crab exports were worth $483,896,059 over the last year. We are certainly seeing that the value of crab was impacted over the last year, which could be from a number of different factors—obviously, food prices and inflation but also geopolitical issues.

Canada-China Relations committee  Good afternoon, Chair and committee members. The Indo-Pacific area represents an important market for Canadian fish and seafood, with exports totalling nearly $2 billion in 2022. While the majority of Canada's seafood exports to the region go to China—$1.29 billion—Canada is party to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade agreement with several countries in the region, and Canadian exporters have an interest in expanding access to major economies in the region, such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as growing markets like Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.