Our Priorities
Priorities for 2013–2014
- Contribute to economic prosperity through implementation of an updated Global Commerce Strategy, with an emphasis on expanding and diversifying commercial relationships with emerging and high-growth markets.
- Implement an updated Global Commerce Strategy to improve the access of Canadian companies to key markets, capital, technology, talent, and trade-promotion and partnership-development support.
- Seek an ambitious conclusion to the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and support ratification and implementation of a concluded agreement.
- Seek an ambitious Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India, advance free trade negotiations with Japan and South Korea, and deepen commercial engagement with Africa with an emphasis on investment promotion and protection.
- Promote Canada as a reliable and responsible supplier of resources to global markets.
- Promote democracy and respect for human rights, and contribute to effective global governance and international security.
- Provide leadership on international human rights issues, develop a strategy to advance democracy, and work with partners to improve transparency and accountability for results within key international organizations.
- Address international security challenges, including terrorism, transnational organized crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and promote security and stability in fragile states and regions.
- Defend Israel’s right to exist and expand freedom and security in the Middle East and Africa.
- Establish a cyber foreign policy to promote Canada’s Internet-related economic, security and foreign policy interests.
- Operationalize the Office of Religious Freedom to promote tolerance and human rights, and encourage protection of religious minorities.
- Reinforce the Canada-U.S. relationship and expand Canada’s engagement in the hemisphere.
- Deepen commercial relations with the United States through support for innovation and foreign investment, and promotion of Canada as a stable and secure source of energy and energy technology.
- Support the negotiation and implementation of the Canada-U.S. Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, and enhance Canada-U.S. continental defence cooperation.
- Implement targeted engagements in the Americas, including expanded commercial engagement, cooperation with Mexico, and support to Central American and Caribbean partners to address security challenges.
- Engage with the Pacific Alliance, and enhance political and economic engagement with Brazil.
- Increase Canada’s economic and political engagement in Asia.
- Implement a plan for Asia designed to deepen targeted economic, security and governance partnerships.
- Pursue deepened market access by advancing bilateral free trade negotiations with key partners, including Japan, Korea, India, and contributing to an ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement covering a market of 658 million people and a combined GDP of $20.5 trillion.
- Pursue exploratory trade discussions with Thailand and deeper economic relations with China.
- Continue to pursue foreign investment promotion and protection agreements with countries of interest such as Indonesia, Mongolia and Cambodia.
- Deepen the partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and operationalize the ASEAN Connectivity Fund.
- Consular Services: Enhance safety awareness for Canadians abroad.
- Improve public awareness of consular services to mitigate the need for emergency assistance.
- Innovate toward the delivery of a rationalized and efficient consular and emergency response program.
- Reinforce the Emergency Watch and Response Centre function and continue to improve mission security and preparedness.
- Implement Canada’s Arctic foreign policy to exercise sovereignty in the Arctic, in support of the Northern Strategy.
- Implement priorities for Canada’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council for 2013-15, including promotion of circumpolar economic development.
- Seek to resolve boundary issues and to secure international recognition for the full extent of Canada’s extended continental shelf.
For more on DFAIT's planning and performance.
