20 April 2012- The Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region is the focus of a significant paradigm shift for Canada, as both the Canadian Federal Government and Canadian businesses would be looking to the region for growth and opportunity.

This was the message imparted by officials of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) during their encounter with the heads of Asia-Pacific Diplomatic Missions and High Commissions in Ottawa organized by the Philippine Embassy in the balmy Canadian capital city last April 04.

Mr. Milos Barutciski, Co-Chair of the International Affairs Committee (IAC) of the Chamber and concurrent Partner at the Bennett Jones law firm, acknowledged the "vibrant, dynamic, fast-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific, both in a demographic and economic sense, which Canadian business will want to participate in."

Mr. Cliff Sosnow, Co-Chair of the CCC-IAC, and Partner and Chair of Blakes International Trade & Investment Group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon, noted "a geo-political shift in the way Canada is doing business," and observed a noticeable "cultural shift by the Canadian government and the population itself" away from the United States, its traditional market and towards the Asia-Pacific.

A shift to the Asia-Pacific is inherently a "no-brainer," according to Mr. Sosnow, as it is an area "brimming with opportunities."

Mr. Sosnow observed that the Harper government has shown a marked engagement with the Asia-Pacific region - a trend that the business community sees as continuing, for as long as the current government is in power. This meant that Canada will seek out opportunities to further trade, joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and establishing "a much more muscular and vigorous presence in both ASEAN and APEC."

Meanwhile, Mr. Michael Landry, Chair of the Canadian Services Coalition and Vice President for Corporate Development of Manulife Financial, believed that with the Canadian government "demonstrating a clearly Asian focus," Canadian companies will "be following the lead very carefully."

Mr. Landry said that four years ago, the Asian market represented 20% of Manulife business. This has since grown to up to a third of their global business.

Mr. Landry made special mention of their company's presence in the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and their investments in Australia and New Zealand. For Mr. Landry, this represented "a strong trend and an increasing dependence" towards Asia by Canadian companies, and there would be "no market as important to Canadian business as the markets represented" in the encounter with Asia-Pacific Ambassadors and High Commissioners on that day.  END