FOR a fleeting moment, Canada and the Philippines had the diplomatic equivalent of a minor “heart seizure” over the row on the waste materials that emanated from the North American country and somehow found their way into our shores.
As a result, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. recalled the Philippines’s ambassador and consul to Canada over the delayed “repatriation” of the domestic refuse in Subic Bay. The problem was soon “disposed of,” as our representatives and staff went back promptly to resume their posts.
In one of his first interviews after the “trans-Pacific mess” was resolved, Ambassador John Holmes declared the re-shipment as “a success” during the BusinessMirror’s Coffee Club on June 27—and not a disaster—as critics would have it.
The Anna Maersk ship loaded with containers of Canadian garbage and e-waste finally docked at a ferry terminal in British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, on June 29. Holmes said the issue was settled because of the cooperation of Filipinos and Canadians.
The envoy outlined the many technical and bureaucratic barriers that had to be hurdled, as he emphasized about the round-the-clock work that was involved. He gave special mention to Locsin for settling the matter, then praised Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu and his senior officials for their tremendous support.
About the foreign affairs chief, Holmes had this to say: “He’s very colorful [and] very entertaining, but Secretary Locsin was extremely effective in helping ensure that everything went smoothly.”
The Canadian official went on to explain that part of the delay was the process of fumigating the containers. Subic Bay authorities notified the Canadian Embassy of the joint Filipino-American military training taking place that very same moment. That required the temporary closure of the area all weekend long.
“I phoned the Secretary [Locsin, who was in Japan at that time]. So he said, ‘I’m on it.’ Because of him, our fumigation team was back on the job that Saturday afternoon. A Canadian minister phoned him a couple of times to thank him for his help.”
Elucidating on how they managed to speed up the process of getting the waste away, he credited the close collaboration between Manila and Ottawa.
Rhetorically, he stated: “If our two countries can continue to work collaboratively as we did in resolving this matter, imagine what we can do to enhance our trade, our investments, our people-to-people contexts?”
Upon the shipment’s arrival in Canada, Holmes said it was scheduled to undergo inspection, then off to a facility, and then for destruction.
“It will be the end of the trash issue, forever, and for all time,” Holmes declared with finality.
Canada: Compassionate country
IN the course of our discussion, the participants realized that both countries have one very crucial thing in common: compassion to immigrants.
Canada, the good envoy said, would soon increase the volume of immigrants they would receive this year.
“The vast majority of Canadian people still support an open, migratory, regulated system,” the charismatic envoy shared.
Like the Philippines, Canada strongly endorsed the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), which Holmes believes is the responsible way to manage the worldwide movement of people.
“So we encourage others—even those who did not attend the Morocco summit—we urge them, to look at the guidelines again, and apply them in a humane fashion.”
The Morocco Conference took place in the capital of Marrakech in 2018. It launched a process of intergovernmental negotiations and led to the adoption of the GCM.
“There are pluses and minuses. We don’t see it as a zero-sum game; either you lose or you win,” he said by way of looking at the immigration issue currently raging in developed countries.
“We see it as both economies, or all economies, benefiting,” said the Canadian diplomat (who confessed that he’s also mistaken as a dead ringer for the Beatles’s Paul McCartney).
That Canada is a beacon of hope for those escaping political persecution, war, famine, ethnic cleansing, poverty, and many of the ills that continue to haunt society, are the same ideals the Philippines shares with.
(In the pre-World War II era, former President Manuel L. Quezon opened the Philippines to thousands of Jews escaping Hitler’s pogroms, as major Western powers did the opposite. The country reprised the act to Vietnam’s “boat people,” who were evading the horrors of a two-decade war with America.)
Addressing global migration
AT almost 8,900 kilometers, Canada and the United States have the longest shared border between two countries.
The amiable ambassador clarified how his country has managed to address today’s pressing conundrum: screening the “fit from the unfit,” without staining its long-held values of compassion, empathy and humaneness.
“At no time in our global history has there been so many people on the move: refugees, economic migrants escaping problems in their homes, countries or region,” Canada’s former envoy to Turkey, Indonesia and Jordan stated.
Holmes noted though, that the North American country has always been guided by the GCM—deemed the most important document to address this pressing issue today.
He admitted that like the Philippines, Canada strongly endorsed the GCM.
“We believe [the compact] is the responsible way to manage these processes and movements of people.”
Compassion must have been imprinted in the DNA of Canadians because, as Holmes confessed, they do not mind seeing so many refugees streaming through his hometown.
“My brother’s house is actually on the border. [And] for technical reasons, we had quite a few people moving across into Canada.”
He said their only concern is not the volume coming through, but actually, it is about those who are coming.
“Our Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau] has announced we could take 300,000 every year,” Holmes boasted, then added this infusion of would-be laborers are crucial to Canada’s economy. He intimated they would soon increase the volume of incoming immigrants to a million.
“They are vital to us not only [as] workers, but also as experts in certain areas, like in [information technology and] finance.”
The ambassador acknowledged that those who have already gained access to Canada are also welcome to bring their families with them. As a word of caution, though, he warned: “The adverse reactions are aimed against the unregulated.”
Holmes was referring to the large-scale movement of unfettered migrants who pose some degree of concern. His government has recently announced some changes at the border, “to try to deal with this movement.”
“Many of the [said] people are not coming from Mexico and zooming into Canada, [but rather those who are] affected by changes in US immigration policies,” he revealed. “They fear that they will be sent back to their countries of origin. But we’re managing it.”
On China, Huawei
OUR discussion suddenly shifted toward the subject of Chinese relations. The BusinessMirror asked to Holmes about the circumstances behind the arrest of a global telecommunications executive in his homeland, as well as the consequences of such moves.
On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou, a.k.a. Sabrina Meng and Cathy Meng, was apprehended at the Vancouver International Airport, at the behest of the US. Meng happens to be the deputy chairman of the board and chief financial officer of Huawei, China’s largest private company, founded by the patriarch Ren Zhengfei.
She was jailed in Canada for allegedly defrauding multiple financial institutions, in breach of US-imposed bans, specifically those dealing with Iran. In January, the US Department of Justice charged Meng with financial fraud.
Calmly, Holmes detailed the legal way his countrymen faced the issue.
“Canada is a country that believes in the rule of law. We have bilateral extradition treaties with many countries, including the US, and what happened in Vancouver was a direct result of the bilateral extradition treaty that we have.”
He enumerated those factors, and explained that China’s violations of the ban “has obviously led to the detention of the senior official from Huawei.”
However, Holmes revealed that a legal process is ongoing. “We have due process in Canada. Any person who is detained, whether pursuant to an extradition request or another process, has all rights of appeal, so that the individual or any other can appeal for rights, and make a case of why he or she could not be extradited. I’m not going to comment on specifics.”
On the other hand, he admitted that the incident resulted in strained ties between Ottawa and Beijing.
“Unfortunately, it had an impact on the relationship. We can’t deny that. [But] we still have diplomatic relations.”
According to Holmes, who once held a number of positions in Canada’s Legal Bureau with a focus on human rights and humanitarian law, commented, “[Our] Chinese ambassador is still very present in Canada.”
Holmes went on: “We’re trying to work through these issues. We’re willing to try to sit down and resolve [them]. We’re willing to dialogue. We think that [our] governments shouldn’t interfere before the courts, until these things get sorted out.”
Further, he expounded, “We’re open to [talk with] our partners in China. We had very good relations up until that point.’’
Hot Arctic issue
IN the same vein, Holmes was queried about the possibility of another “flashpoint” being ignited in the Arctic region—similar to the raging South China Sea (SCS)/West Philippine Sea conflict—because of the reported attempt by China to purchase an island near Denmark and establish a port in the area.
(Denmark turned down an offer last year from a Chinese mining company to buy an abandoned US naval base in Greenland, due to security concerns. Not wanting to offend the US as an ally, it also refused China’s bid to build a port on the island.)
He was quizzed too about China’s desire to create a “polar belt” scheme near the North Pole, similar to the “Belt and Road Initiative” in Asia.
China also wants to navigate the Northwest Passage to find a shorter route for its ships en route the Eastern Seaboard of the US, in case the Malacca Strait closes during a conflict.
These new trade routes can be used by China to either import natural resources or to export its products to final markets. If eventually opened for commercial travel, the Northwest Passage could offer China and the rest of the world a 7,000-kilometer shortcut between Northeast Asia and the Atlantic seaboard of the US, instead of sailing through the Panama Canal.
Holmes thought for a moment before relaying his considered reply. He admitted not being abreast of the proposed “polar belt,” but made clear where Canada stands: “All I can say [about] our position is, that the entire [area, up until] near the North Pole, is Canadian sovereign territory.”
“We believe that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea recognizes the right of archipelagic states. Our very firm position is, [those are] all part of Canada,” he insisted.
He reminded everyone in attendance that not all countries agree to those terms, “but there are some who argue that the Northwest Passage is an international waterway and therefore, they have the right to traverse it.”
The Canadian diplomat said the ability to sail through the passage could prove challenging, as it remains frozen for the rest of the year, except for brief bouts during summer.
“But that may be changing, unfortunately, due to climate change.”
The envoy opined: “We’re seeing very rapid changes in the climate throughout the world, especially in the north that it could be, in a very short period of time, the Northwest Passage [would eventually be accessible].”
He expressed the view that Canada is “supportive of the UN arbitration award,” referring to the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s historic decision to invalidate China’s historic sweeping claims to the 1.3-million-sq-km SCS.
In pursuit of those objectives, he said Canada continues to work hand-in-hand with the Asean in the area of security.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano