Parliamentary Secretary Arif Virani welcomes Second APEC Business Advisory Council Meeting 2022 

April 25, 2022 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Global Affairs Canada

Fostering partnerships with forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is paramount for our global economic recovery.

Today, Parliamentary Secretary Arif Virani, on behalf of the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, welcomed ABAC to Vancouver for the second of four meetings scheduled for 2022.

Russia’s illegal aggression threatens global economic recovery, destabilizes global supply chains, and undermines the work of APEC and ABAC. In his remarks, Parliamentary Secretary Virani reiterated Canada’s strong condemnation of Russia’s egregious invasion of Ukraine and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to ensuring that those who undermine the international rules-based order do not benefit from it.

Parliamentary Secretary Virani highlighted the importance of ABAC’s role working towards economic growth and prioritizing innovation, while addressing issues such as food and energy security. Parliamentary Secretary Virani noted that as the world shifts its focus to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to work closely with international partners – especially in the dynamic Indo-Pacific region – will be crucial to Canada’s growth and to foster an inclusive global recovery.

Parliamentary Secretary Virani joined participants in the ABAC Cybersecurity Symposium to share Canada’s position on the importance of emerging work in digitalization and infrastructure, and highlighted support being provided through Budget 2022 towards digital growth and security. He underscored the need to work together to give structure to the global digital economy to protect economies, democracies, businesses, and the rules-based trading system.