Canada must have a seat at IPEF table

Next week the United States will bring together ministers representing more than a dozen countries for the inaugural in-person meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). Canada must be at the table in some capacity. As a crucial U.S. partner and a Pacific country with growing interests in the region, Canada should formally request that International Trade Minister Mary Ng or a comparably senior government representative be allowed to participate as an observer at the meetings as a first step towards seeking admission to IPEF. As we await the federal government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, it is important that Canada signals the priority it assigns to this crucial region.