Philippines-Canada Business Forum luncheon
January 15, 1997
Manila, Philippines
On behalf of Team Canada, let me say what a pleasure it is to
be here in your beautiful country. In Canada, Filipinos are well-known
for their gracious hospitality and that hospitality has certainly
been in evidence on our visit here. I wish to thank you for your
warm welcome.
Canadians are excited by the developments here in the Philippines.
The People's Power revolution led by Mrs. Corazon Aquino a decade
ago was an inspiration to all Canadians. And a lesson about the
spirit and courage of the Filipino people. President Ramos has
continued that spirit. He has worked to address the social and
developmental challenges of your country. And he has achieved
historic results in the peace process leading to political reconciliation
within your nation.
These reforms have given the Philippines a new sense of hope and
optimism. And the economic reforms of President Ramos and his
government have set the basis for long term economic growth. And
Canada wants to be part of it.
I am told that the growth rate in the Philippines in 1995 was
5.5 per cent and that growth in 1996 was over 7% -- and that you
have enjoyed five straight years of accelerating growth. I am
in the Philippines to promote Canadian exports, but your growth
rate is one import I would like to take back to Canada!
The economic potential of the Philippines is being unleashed and
the world is taking notice -- the media are calling the Philippines
the 'Newborn Tiger'. And your roar is impressive.
Team Canada is in the Philippines to help ensure that this progress
continues. And that the Canada-Philippines partnership continues
to grow.
That partnership is built on a strong foundation. Canada was one
of the first governments to recognize the Aquino administration
in 1986 and our ambassador was the first foreign emissary to present
credentials to the new government. We were the first country to
extend export credits to the new government.
Since then, bilateral trade has increased six-fold, to reach $825
million in 1995. In the same period, our exports to the Philippines
have grown seven-fold, from $46 million in 1985 to $328 million
in 1995. Canada has major investments in the Philippines, with
companies such as Sun Life, Manulife and Scotiabank enjoying a
long-standing presence in your country. More than twenty Canadian
companies have offices here.
But even the best partnerships can be improved. And that is what
Team Canada is all about. We are more than four-hundred strong
- the political leadership of Canada, municipal leaders, educators
and hundreds of business representatives - all with one message:
we are here to make the Canada-Philippines partnership grow.
Canada is a world leader in the building and design of economic
infrastructure. Transportation. Telecommunications. Information
technology. Energy. Construction and building materials. In the
telecommunications sector, for example, with the deregulation
of the Philippine telecommunications industry, Canadian companies
have won a substantial number of equipment contracts. Many of
these companies are represented on Team Canada.
We offer excellent consumer products as well. Today, grocery stores
in the Philippines offer Canadian apples, pork and beef, frozen
foods, canola oil, potato chips and pasta, even bubble gum and
ice beer!
Canada is also competing in important niche markets in the Philippines.
Let me give you two examples. With its talented and skilled labour,
the Philippines is a centre for cartoon imaging. In the field
of animation, Sheridan College of Toronto is producing graduates
with specialized skills in animation, who are working in the Philippines
as cartoonists and illustrators. They are producing cartoon imaging
for clients such as Disney.
Another example is Sea Form Systems Asia Inc., a commercial dive
contracting and construction company that specializes in rehabilitating
pier and wharf facilities. With technology developed in Canada,
this company has gained a strong presence in the Philippines and
elsewhere in Asia. The president of this company, Mr. Dan Young,
is also the President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the
Philippines.
Another important growth area for Canada in the Philippines, and
a big priority for Team Canada, is educational services. Canada
offers first-rate educational facilities and specialized training,
and we would welcome more Filipino students in Canada. Representatives
of a number of Canada's leading educational institutions are with
us on the Team Canada mission.
Many of the players on Team Canada are small and medium-sized
business. That sector is the motor of the Canadian economy. Their
presence reflects the desire of smaller Canadian firms to take
their entrepreneurial skills and savvy overseas, into the global
marketplace.
Team Canada has also welcomed a number of young entrepreneurs
to the team this year. Because we place a high priority on creating
jobs and opportunities for young people.
Small companies seeking big opportunities. Young men and women
putting new ideas to commercial use. Modern schools providing
the training for the new information economy. And some of the
strongest and most experienced Canadian companies in the resource
and manufacturing sectors.
These are what Team Canada is all about. And that's what this
trip is all about -- expanding the Canada-Philippines partnership
to a new level for a new millennium.
There is one thing that is essential to any real partnership -
and that is shared values. And those shared values are clear in
the way we approach one of the most difficult and tragic problems
of poverty and development -- child labour and exploitation.
I commend the government of President Ramos for undertaking a
five-year plan to combat child sexual abuse and other forms of
child exploitation. I also welcome the new legislation you have
passed against child abuse, exploitation and discrimination, which
also deals with child prostitution. The Philippines is one of
the countries that will benefit from a program of the International
Labour Organization ( ILO) to eliminate child labour -- a program
in which Canada has been a leader.
In fact, we have worked closely with you in the Philippines in
this area. In real, concrete, tangible ways. Like the Canadian-funded
program that trains and empowers children and parent leaders of
Local Committees for the Protection of Children and trains Street
Children Junior Advocates. These children educate other street
children and develop a network among them to understand and exercise
their rights.
We are trying to make the rights of children a foreign affairs
priority. And we have introduced legislation in Parliament that
would send a strong signal to Canadians that they will be subject
to prosecution if they engage in commercial sexual activities
with children while abroad.
Through the Canadian International Development Agency, we are
supporting programs in a number of countries that help provide
affordable access to primary education, particularly for girls;
that improve the status and role of women as equal partners in
development; and that support good governance and human rights.
Our shared commitment to development is just one of many in the
growing list of values we share. In fact, we are both members
of what is fast becoming a community - the Asia Pacific community.
And we in Canada plan to be a full and active member.
A few weeks ago in Vancouver, Canada's Pacific gateway, I declared
1997 to be Canada's Year of Asia Pacific. Throughout 1997, Canada
will celebrate our country's Pacific dimension and the outstanding
contribution made by Canadians of Asian origin.
We want to raise awareness among Canadians of the importance of
the Asia-Pacific community to our economy and society.
The highlight of the Year of Asia Pacific will be Canada's chairing
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, an honour
we will inherit from the Phillippines. President Ramos will not
be an easy act to follow. He has shown strong leadership in advancing
the APEC agenda of trade and investment liberalization. I plan
to build on that success. And carry on that agenda.
By working together, we can create a future in which economic
growth leads to the long-term prosperity and well-being of the
people of the region. Along with our fellow members in APEC, we
must press forward to achieve our goal of free trade and investment
by 2010 for developed countries and 2020 for developing countries.
Through these and other initiatives during Canada's Year of Asia
Pacific, Canada wants to demonstrate how important the Pacific
community is for us, today, and in the future.
In so doing, we will want to highlight the vital role that Filipinos
are playing in Canadian society. Canadians of Filipino origin
have helped strengthen bilateral trade and investment, through
family ties to the Philippines and their close familiarity with
business practices in both countries. I call them Canada's hidden
advantage in the Philippines. There are more than 250,000 of them.
And they add vitality and entrepreneurial spirit to Canadian society.
In fact, a Filipino-Canadian is Parliamentary Secretary to the
Prime Minister of Canada. Dr. Rey Pagtakhan was born in Cavite,
and is now a respected Member of Parliament in Canada. I am fortunate
to rely on his wise counsel in our House of Commons. And all of
us in Team Canada are fortunate to have you here with us on this
trip.
Rey is from the great Canadian city of Winnipeg -- a twin city
of Manila. Filipinos have been contributing to Canadian life in
Winnipeg for years -- and also in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary,
Montreal and Edmonton. And forming a very real, very strong, and
very human link to the Philippines.
And that human connection is the basis of any strong relationship.
Between people. And between countries. That is the focus of our
Year of Asia Pacific. And that is the focus of this Team Canada
mission. Bringing people together. To create understanding. To
create opportunity and jobs for our people. To form a true community
of nations in the Pacific.
That is the spirit of Team Canada. And it is a spirit that will
continue growing for many years to come.
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