Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced that Ottawa is working to conclude a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, a move she said would open greater access for Canadian businesses to one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions.

In a statement posted on X on August 11, Anand noted that bilateral trade between Canada and ASEAN already stands at $52 billion. An agreement, she said, would strengthen trade and investment ties across Southeast Asia.

“Canada is working to conclude a free trade agreement with ASEAN this year, opening the door to stronger trade and investment across one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. With bilateral trade already at $52 billion, an agreement would give Canadian businesses greater access to Southeast Asian markets.” — Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, via X

Broader Cooperation Beyond Trade

Anand emphasized that Canada and ASEAN are expanding their partnership as the two sides approach the 50th anniversary of relations in 2027. Cooperation is extending into regional security, efforts to combat cybercrime and financial crime including scam centres, and the protection of biodiversity, as Canada deepens its engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

The remarks came as Anand participated in ASEAN Day events in Ottawa, marking the 59th anniversary of the regional bloc. Officials from ASEAN member states and the Southeast Asian community in Canada attended the commemorations.

Context of Growing Ties

Canada-ASEAN merchandise trade reached C$52.4 billion in 2025, making the 11-member bloc Canada’s fifth-largest merchandise trading partner as a group. Formal free trade negotiations between Canada and ASEAN were launched in 2022. In July 2026, Anand attended the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference Plus Canada and related meetings in Manila, where the two sides adopted a 2026–2030 Plan of Action to implement their Strategic Partnership. That plan covers trade and investment, regional security, and economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has identified completion of the Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement as a priority, with a target of concluding negotiations by the end of 2026. Officials have described the prospective deal as a strategic investment in mutual economic resilience that would give Canadian exporters preferential access to a combined market of nearly 700 million people and an economy valued at more than US$5 trillion.

ASEAN’s Eleven Members

ASEAN currently includes the following member states, spanning a combined population approaching 700 million people:

• Brunei Darussalam
• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Vietnam

Canada has pursued closer Indo-Pacific engagement in recent years as part of efforts to diversify trade relationships and strengthen supply-chain resilience.

Anand’s latest comments reaffirm Ottawa’s commitment to advancing both the economic and security dimensions of the Canada-ASEAN partnership in the months ahead.