National

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to Laos for ASEAN Summit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Oct, 2024 10:53 AM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is travelling to Laos today to take part in the ASEAN Summit.

Canada is not a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but has a strategic partnership with ASEAN and is hoping to conclude a trade deal with the 10-nation bloc by the end of next year.

Canada and Indonesia are also working toward a trade deal that's set to be signed by the end of this year.

The trip marks the first official visit to Laos by a Canadian prime minister and Trudeau is set to meet with leaders from several member nations during the summit.

Together, the ASEAN countries represented Canada's fourth-largest trading partner in 2023 when it comes to merchandise trade.

The summit begins on Thursday and Trudeau is set to travel to Germany on Saturday for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which will be chaired by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Parks Canada says it realizes wildfire evacuees from Jasper worry about what rotting food will do to their homes and that others wonder when a critical highway through the national park will reopen, but it says the blaze continues to burn out of control and remains a threat to the town. A statement from the federal agency on Sunday said requests have poured in from people asking for help in retrieving important personal items or to remove food, fridges and freezers.

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

The mayor of Slocan says the skies were filled with ominous thick smoke while she drove out of her community that's now under an evacuation order as wildfires burn on either side. Jessica Lunn says most of Slocan's approximately 370 residents had already left Sunday morning, as she and her family evacuated and firefighters set up sprinklers to protect structures and prepared to pump water from the nearby lake.

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

Walmart closes after fire

A Walmart in East Vancouver has been closed after a fire that appears to have been deliberately set Saturday caused millions of dollars of damage. A Facebook post from the store on Grandview Highway says all employees and costumers are safe but calls the incident "shocking, dangerous and shameful."

Walmart closes after fire

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Weather this winter wiped out almost all of B.C.'s peaches, apricots and nectarines for the year and severely damaged cherry orchards. In mid-January, the Interior saw several days of frigid temperatures that killed off active buds in trees that had only just begun to recover from the 2021 heat dome and had gone through a harsh winter in 2022.

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Four people dead after crash involving semi truck and SUV outside Calgary

Four people are dead after a crash involving an SUV and a semi truck hauling a grain trailer at a rural intersection northeast of Calgary. RCMP say they were called about a crash Friday morning at the intersection of highways 9 and 564 in Rocky View County.

Four people dead after crash involving semi truck and SUV outside Calgary

Vancouver police investigating homicide after two men shot in vehicle

Vancouver police are investigating a suspected homicide after two men were shot in a vehicle, which then collided with two other vehicles. A statement says police were called just before 9 p.m. on Friday to the city’s Sunset neighbourhood.