July 16, 2024 — Canada’s top diplomat to the Philippines sees a radiant future to the relationship of the two countries.
In an opinion piece to mark Canada Day on July 1, 2024, Ambassador David Hartman reflected on the friendly ties that have bound both nations since 1949.
“Indeed, the future of our relations is bright and promising,” Hartman wrote in the commentary published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Hartman stated that that he is “excited by what lies ahead”, including the much-anticipated state visit to Canada by Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in 2024.
“Our two governments are currently following up on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s invitation for President Marcos to visit Canada later this year,” the envoy wrote.
As Hartman noted, the upcoming visit by Marcos Jr. will boost ties to new levels.
He explained that the visit will “seize on the momentum in the relationship, articulate our shared ambitions for the future, and set out a path to achieve them”.
“By seizing the potential in this partnership, we can resolve common challenges and advance our shared goals,” Hartman wrote.
It may be recalled that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invited President Marcos Jr. to visit Canada in 2024 as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Trudeau made the invitation during the Philippine-Canada bilateral meeting on September 6, 2023 at the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia.
“Next year, we are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations. It will be celebrated. But the reality is the trade ties, economic ties between our countries continue to grow, the opportunities for investment, the flow of people back and forth as well. The Filipino-Canadian diaspora is incredibly important to all of us,” Trudeau said, as reported in an official media release by the Presidential Communications Office of the Philippines.
The release noted that Marcos Jr. said he was equally happy to meet Trudeau in Canada.
“Again, we cannot have discussions without mentioning the diaspora, the Philippine diaspora, to Canada. And I noted during our Independence Day, all these celebrations being held officially by local governments around Canada for the Philippines, as a celebration of Philippine culture, a celebration of Philippine independence, was really indicative of how well they have assimilated themselves into places and into your society,” President Marcos Jr. said.
“And for that, that is something that we need to continue and to develop. It is perhaps the way of the world,” he added.
The September 6, 2023 meeting was the third bilateral meeting between Marcos Jr. and Trudeau since the Philippine leader assumed office in 2022.
In his July 1, 2024 opinion piece, Hartman also indicated that Canada and Philippines are also “working to increase prospects for our business communities”.
“There will be a Team Canada Trade Mission to the Philippines in December—bringing hundreds of representatives of Canadian companies and government agencies to build connections to enhance trade and investment for Canadians and Filipinos,” Hartman wrote.
As what Trudeau and Marcos Jr. noted in their September 6, 2023 bilateral meeting in Indonesia, the Canadian envoy took note of the growing Filipino diaspora in Canada.
“Our journey continues, enriched by deep people-to-people ties. More than one million people in Canada claim Filipino heritage—a cultural identity that has become an essential component of Canada’s multicultural fabric,” Hartman wrote.
The anticipated state visit of Marcos Jr. was one of the topics discussed between Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and her Philippine counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, in Ottawa on May 8, 2024.
A readout released that day gave indications about preparations being made for the visit.
The statement read: “Noting the robust and mutually beneficial partnership between our countries, both Ministers agreed to instruct officials to begin discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship. The Ministers discussed the prospective visit of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to Canada.”
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