Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, sent the following letter to Chak Au, Conservative Member of Parliament for Richmond Centre—Marpole, inviting him to lead a new Conservative caucus to secure opportunities for Canada in the Asia Pacific region:

Chak,

As we work together to fix the past decade of Liberal failures that have left us weaker at home and abroad, we must seize the opportunity to advance Canada’s national interests in the Indo-Pacific.

Under previous Conservative leadership, Canada expanded its global trade footprint by diversifying beyond traditional partners and securing access to markets across the Indo-Pacific, concluding the Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership. That foundation positioned Canada to compete globally. Unfortunately, nearly eleven years of Liberal negligence have left us unprepared to compete where the world’s economic future is being shaped. While the Prime Minister travels abroad to sign non-binding MOUs, his results are nonexistent. 

For too long, our politicians and bureaucrats have blocked us from building the necessary infrastructure–ports, pipelines, rail and more–to take our resources to world markets. Some of the worst tariffs imposed on Canada today are those imposed by the government here, such as slow permits, changing rules, high taxes and outright bans on shipping oil off our Northwest BC coast. The result is trade relationships that are few, narrow, and unbalanced. The Indo-Pacific provides 25 per cent of Canada’s merchandise imports, but accounts for just 10.5 per cent of our merchandise exports. Most importantly, national security interests have taken a backseat to economic aims, leaving us vulnerable.

We need our country to be strong at home so we can have unbreakable leverage abroad. I think you can be part of the solution to build that strength. 

It is my pleasure to appoint you as the Chair of the Conservative Pacific Gateway Economic Engagement Caucus, with the following responsibilities:

  • Develop a comprehensive Conservative Strategic Plan for the Asia Pacific region;
  • Develop policy ideas to maximize existing agreements, including positioning Canada as a major LNG exporter to Asia, identifying and fixing infrastructure gaps that are a major bottleneck to trade;
  • Protect Canada’s security interests; 
  • Form a dedicated working team of Conservative Shadow Ministers, Members of Parliament and other subject-matter experts; 
  • Support planning for future Conservative missions to the region; and
  • Publish your findings in a comprehensive report before the end of this calendar year.

You have been a strong and consistent advocate for strengthening our relationships, and your work reflects a longstanding commitment to expanding Canada’s economic, cultural and strategic presence in the Pacific Gateway region. You have led and participated in numerous trade, cultural and humanitarian missions across the region–including China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Taiwan. 

You played a key role in promoting direct air links between Vancouver and Xiamen to deepen economic and tourism ties. This was no doubt thanks to your unique combination of regional knowledge, on-the-ground experience and longstanding networks across the Indo-Pacific, with a proven track record of advancing Canada’s economic, cultural and educational engagement in the region.

You will not be alone in this role. Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Michael Chong, and other members of our team will support you in your mission.

Canada needs to be a serious economic and geopolitical player in the Pacific. We can’t wait any longer for Mark Carney and the Liberals.

On behalf of all Canadians, thank you for your continued hard work and focus.