Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Manila this month for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, where Ottawa is pushing to conclude two separate free trade agreements — one with the Philippines, a founding member of the regional bloc, and another with ASEAN as a whole.

According to a statement from his office, Mr. Carney plans to finalize the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement during the summit while also seeking the conclusion of negotiations on a bilateral Canada-Philippines Free Trade Agreement. The twin-track approach pairs a bloc-wide accord with a country-specific deal, giving concrete form to the diversification strategy his office describes.

Ottawa said the proposed ASEAN-Canada deal is expected to boost Canada's gross domestic product by C$2.55 billion (P114.9 billion) and support more than C$3.5 billion in exports to the region. The Canada-Philippines agreement under negotiation, his office said, could triple bilateral trade by 2035.

"In a rapidly changing world, Canada's government is focused on what we can control," Mr. Carney's office said. "We are building our strength at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad to open new markets, attract new investment and create greater prosperity for Canadians."

Ottawa and ASEAN began negotiating the free trade agreement on Nov. 16, 2021, meaning the regional talks have now run for more than four years. Canada and the Philippines launched talks on their bilateral trade pact in late 2025, after Ottawa secured parliamentary authority to proceed. Earlier this year, during meetings in Vancouver, Mr. Carney and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. pledged to conclude negotiations before the end of 2026 — a timeline that sets the yardstick against which progress on the bilateral track will be measured after the Manila summit.

Mr. Carney has described the proposed accord as "the foundation of our new Canada-Philippines strategic partnership."

Manila will be the second stop on a four-country trip focused on advancing Canada's trade, investment, cultural and security interests. The Canadian leader is also scheduled to attend the Summit of the European Political Community and the Alliance for the Future in Ireland, where he is expected to lobby for Canada to become the European Union's first associate member. His Asia itinerary also includes Cambodia for the Sommet de la Francophonie and China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting — a multi-region schedule that mirrors the market-diversification agenda his office outlined.

— Francessca S. Abalos, BusinessWorld