Duterte gets Trudeau invited to key security event
Insider says Philippine president’s gesture won’t have any impact on whether PM confronts him about human-rights violations
Rodrigo Duterte went out “on a limb” to secure a key invitation for Justin Trudeau to attend a prestigious Asia-Pacific security event alongside powerful world leaders, government officials say.
But one senior insider insists the Philippine president’s helpful gesture won’t have any impact on whether Trudeau confronts him about human-rights violations in the Southeast Asian country that have shocked people around the world.
Trudeau has hinted he might bring up the issue of human rights with Duterte, if he gets the opportunity. The leaders have no one-on-one meetings planned during the prime minister’s visit to the Philippines for summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Thanks to Duterte’s effort, Trudeau will have a coveted opportunity Tuesday to participate in a working lunch in Manila ahead of an ASEAN-affiliated meeting known as the East Asia Summit. Trudeau will join leaders from 18 countries, including China, Russia and the United States, to discuss security issues.
It remains to be seen if Trudeau
will challenge Duterte face to face over his violent drug war. Duterte’s bloody crackdown has included extrajudicial killings by his government that have left thousands dead.
“There are a range of issues
that I could bring up with him, that I may bring up with him, if we have an opportunity,” Trudeau said Saturday in Danang, Vietnam. “There’s always human rights concerns to bring up with a wide range of leaders.”
Trudeau’s ticket to Tuesday’s luncheon is a breakthrough because no other Canadian prime minister has ever been invited. He’s expected to discuss North Korea and the violent attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Eventually, Canada hopes to become a permanent member of the East Asia Summit.
Trudeau will also be the first Canadian leader to participate in a one-hour exchange at the ASEAN summit, during which members will ask him questions and debate the depth of Canada’s co-operation in the region.
The opportunity arrives at a time when Trudeau is making efforts to raise Canada’s international profile and demonstrate it can wrestle with complicated challenges, at home and abroad.
Without the invitation from Duterte, who is the summit’s chair, Trudeau wouldn’t have made it through the door.
“It is the prerogative of the chair each year of ASEAN to invite guests,” said one senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t permitted to discuss the matter in public.
“Traditionally, there have been very few of those, so in a way the Philippines have gone out on a limb, let’s say.”