Canada-China Relations committee  Yes, absolutely. In order to limit the vulnerability of Canadian businesses, we have to strengthen their resilience. We should invest in infrastructure as a way of doing so. One of the reasons that explains why the Canadian mining sector is underdeveloped is that we lack the necessary infrastructure to get to the mining regions, which are, of course, very often far from our urban areas.

Canada-China Relations committee  You have to be able to explain the decisions being made in this area. Given the available proof, we are able to establish that there is industrial espionage, that there are threats to the private sector when we do business with China, and that there are links between the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese state corporations.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question. First of all, we have to acknowledge the problem: even with the commitments that Beijing announced this week, it won't meet the United Nations' targets in the fight against climate change. China has to do more, and the same goes for Canada. Alone, Canada cannot do much to change China's position.

Canada-China Relations committee  Yes. I agree that China is learning, in light of the war in Ukraine, that you have to be well prepared if you intend to invade your neighbour. That is the big difference. We are seeing all the military difficulties that Russia is now facing. There are always various degrees of intervention.

Canada-China Relations committee  I agree. We should support Australia's strategy which was updated recently, as well as France's. We often forget that France is a regional power in the Indo‑Pacific. There are many French territories and France is a major maritime power as well. France's strategy is based on seeking a middle ground between the United States' entrenched position with regards to China and a more open policy, which would be one of non-intervention.

Canada-China Relations committee  First of all, we need that rapid force deployment capacity. What we are currently seeing in the case of Ukraine is that we do not have the industrial capacity to wage a high-intensity war over time. Nor do we have a rapid force deployment capacity on the ground. What's more, these capacities take an enormous amount of time to build up because we are living in a peacetime economy, and not a wartime economy.

Canada-China Relations committee  I think it would be a good idea given the fact that Canada is excluded from most regional security institutions. We have seen this with AUKUS and the Quad. Canada would like to see consensus amongst its allies. There is no real divergence of opinion between the Europeans, the Americans and the Japanese on the issue of Taiwan, but it would be good to stake out a common position.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question and for allowing me to conclude my opening remarks. We do indeed have to establish which interests Canada must defend given the resources at its disposal. That's why I am proposing three strategic areas in which Canada can exercise its leadership and its capacity to rally other allies, because Canada's influence on its own is limited.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good evening, everyone. My presentation today will deal with three issues that are essential if we wish to understand Canada's position on the Indo-Pacific region in general and, more specifically, Canada's relationship with Taiwan. The first issue is to clearly define the interests that Canada must defend.

National Defence committee  Some things we've said already. On the sea capabilities, whether it's submarines or unmanned, that's a definite need. Other drones, for aerial surveillance and ISR, are fundamental for Canada. This is the niche we should invest in, because they have industrial benefits that we can then use outside of North America, but we don't.

National Defence committee  The international order as we know it is becoming fragmented. The western countries are consolidating into a bloc, with a few outliers that are starting to break away like Turkey, for example. We don't know what game Turkey is playing, actually. The bloc is based on a few key states who play a crucial role.

National Defence committee  We have spoken about this. There are countries cooperating with the Nordic states, but not Canada. Canada just wants its special relationship in a relationship that isn't so special. So we find ourselves hovering outside of the inner circle. In my opinion, that is really the crux of the matter, in terms of security in the Arctic.

National Defence committee  There's a big threat in the instability of our southern neighbour. One way to address that threat is to institutionalize and depoliticize our military-to-military relationships and also those at other levels, like trade, institutional, cultural, etc. We should do that much more, I think, to prevent the chaos coming from a new Trumpist administration.

National Defence committee  Looking at what the Finns are doing, I don't think they're trying to be the United States, but they're still investing much more than we are. The Norwegians and Swedes, per capita, are as well. I don't think it's the U.S. and then the rest. Some countries are doing much better, and what they're doing is defining, articulating more clearly what their national interests are instead of waiting for others to tell them what they should be doing.

National Defence committee  I agree with your statement. I think we were on the right path with the 2017 defence policy; it's just not enough. It's the right direction, but it's not enough. Now we're seeing talks about reducing the budget or not having it grow. The fact is that all of these key investments are coming in the mid-2020s and then should be present in the mid-2030s, but we know it's always delayed and always costs more.