Blunt and funny. These are two of the more visible signs that strike one who is meeting John T. Holmes, the new Canadian ambassador to the Philippines, for the first time.

He came onboard in September 2016, after the tenure of former Ambassador Neil Reeder.

With previous posts in the region, Holmes had served as envoy to Indonesia, with concurrent accreditation to Timor-Leste and the Asean. Prior to his arrival in Manila, he headed the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

“You will have to listen to me, or there will never be dinner,” went his icebreaker, as he warmly welcomed guests in his Forbes Park residence and introduced himself to the members of the media present.

His wife Carol, a Cordon Bleu chef, flanked him, while his son is from Waterloo, “which has the best faculty, including engineering”. He named Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver and other Canadian cities as “fantastic institutions of learning”.

A chef of the Cordon Bleu (French for “blue ribbon”) kind denotes or relates to the highest class or standard of quality in culinary arts. Mrs. Holmes worked side-by-side with famous Canadian Chef Quentin Glabus during a master cooking class at the ambassador’s residence this week.

Mining matters

The BusinessMirror interviewed Holmes at the sidelines of the event, and asked him whether Canada still wants to go on with its mining operation in the Philippines.

The question is important, because Canada, and Australia are two of the biggest mining operators in the country. Several foreign mines, including that of Holmes’s home country, were affected, following the order of Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez to close 23 mining operations and suspend five others.

“Yes, and I want to say, and I said this to the President, to the finance minister, I will say this to the secretary of the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources]: ‘Whatever you decide upon, that is your sovereign right,’” the ambassador said.

He proceeded, “If you do not want mining, let us know. If you want responsible mining, which is what the President is hoping for, we have here some of the companies with the highest standards in the world, in terms of [concern for the] environment and corporate social responsibility.”

“In fact, two of the Canadian companies have already gotten their licenses, so they will continue. And whatever standards are put in place, Canada will comply with them. But what we want is fairness, objectivity and the rule of law,” Holmes added.

He said the mining companies have invested “millions of dollars. They want to know what the terms are; but they do not want the terms changed midway through”.

“I mean, raising environmental standards, that is fine; but some fundamental things [may suddenly change in future, when we might be told:] ‘Oh, we do not want you mining in this area,’ after we have been given the contract.”

“I think it says something that two of our biggest mining companies will likely continue [their operations], because they are responsible, and they contribute enormously to the economy both at the national and the local level,” he pointed out.

Asked what Canadian companies he was referring to, Holmes declined to mention them, saying, “they are pretty well known.”

Fast food in Canada

Holmes did not let the interview pass without mentioning there is a new outlet of a famous Filipino fast-food chain in Winnipeg, the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba.

It is in the heart of the region called “The Forks”, a historic site at the intersection of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, where warehouses are converted into shops and restaurants, and with ample green space dedicated to festivals, concerts and exhibits.

He said there was a viral photograph going around, which showed early customers who formed a long line around the block. “All of them [were] Filipinos, and it was like 20 degrees below zero,” eliciting a ripple of mirth from the crowd, mostly among Canadians, who are used to the cold climate of their country.

“We’re going to try [your fast-food restaurant], but we will try to get Filipinos sample doughnuts [from a popular Canadian coffee outlet] as our ‘big exchange’,” he enthused.

Boosting business activities

On doing business with the Philippines, he said Canada wants to continue what it has done successfully so far, “which is to improve our trade and investment program”.

“The two-way trade is valued at more than C$2 billion, but there are a lot of enhancements that we can do both ways,” saying more Filipino products are going to Canada, while more products and services from the North American country are coming here.

Canada is the Philippines’s sixth top partner for development assistance, and is a major trading partner. Close to 800,000 Filipinos are currently working and living there.

Meanwhile, one of the guests, Senior Trade Commissioner Michel R. Belanger, who incidentally will be ending his three-year stint in the country this July, said bilateral trade within Asean was at C$2.2 billion. The amount varies year-to-year, he said. The Philippines is the third-largest partner, after Indonesia and Thailand.

According to him, their biggest exports to the country are agricultural products, where products such as wheat, pork and beef, among others comprise 40 percent of such.

Asked what we buy from them, Belanger noted a bit of irony in this aspect, saying: “We are supposed to be a more developed country, while the Philippines is a developing one; [but] what we export to you are agricultural products, and you produce for us electronics.”

“That is your top export, manufactured in Peza [Philippine Export Processing Zone] sites by Japanese, which is interesting. I’m sure it is similar to what other countries are receiving, as well.”

The BusinessMirror queried Belanger whether this should be a lesson to United States President Donald J. Trump, who had denounced globalization. He readily agreed.

“Yes, indeed, it is a global thing: You win in some areas, you lose in others. Generally speaking, everyone is better off by having open borders in order to benefit from trade.”

Trump and TPP

Belanger said Canada is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but after Trump announced America’s withdrawal, the remaining countries are now looking at the next possible options.

He said there was a meeting last week in Chile to explore alternatives after the US’s withdrawal. “We are looking at other parties who want to join the TPP with identical interests, so that we can move forward in a slightly amended TPP.”

He said he is upbeat despite America’s withdrawal: “It is not entirely ‘dead’; we are trying to see if we can do something about it.”

Belanger said there were attempts before to craft a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines in 2015. In fact, some of their businessmen came over to the country to do exploratory talks, “to see opportunities, but it was superseded by the context of our bilateral trade with Asean”.

“The first step was to trade with Asean to gain access to the 10 member-countries of the organization, instead of accessing just one country. But as a trading nation, Canada is always looking at opportunities. Maybe some years from now, we will sign an FTA with Korea and Japan. We are in the process ratifying one with the European Union,” he told the BusinessMirror.

“Yes, the first step we are looking at is with the Asean. But I am sure that afterward, we will look at the opportunities. There were interests expressed in the Philippines. Given that there is a large Filipino diaspora in Canada, there will be pressure for us to look at trade agreements with the Philippines,” Belanger said with finality.

PHL industrial partner

On the other hand, Holmes said there are many more Canadian businesses that can help immensely in the area of infrastructure, “not the big contracting [kind], but more of subcontracting in the areas of safety, security and engineering.”

He said Canadian companies are investing in the business-process outsourcing industry in our shores.

“I think more Canadian companies are investing here. We have two major Canadian investment pools of money, pension funds and others. They are always looking for opportunities, particularly in the area of infrastructure.”

He said they want to tell Canadian investors to come to the Philippines: “There are good opportunities and money to be made, and so [we can] come in, for example, via a tool-booth highway, or new airport projects.”

Going further, Holmes shared that pension funds were invested in these projects in other countries, and they have invested here in the past. “So, I think, this is an area where Canada has both the money and the expertise.”

Filipinos’ second home

On matters of immigration, Holmes said Filipinos are the largest group of foreigners in Canada, numbering at 800,000: “That number will continue [to rise]. We want to see more Filipinos going to school in Canada, graduate in our country, spend a couple of years there, and then come back to the Philippines and help its economy.”

He revealed that in the next three years of his posting, his team from the embassy and the diplomatic sections would be staging three-pronged events. These are in relation to the 150th anniversary of its confederation, as well as in celebration of 40 years of ties with the Asean.

Holmes hinted that three Canadian artists are coming over to Manila to kick off the yearlong activities.

He said filmmaker Deepa Mehta, director of the Oscar-nominated film Water, is supposed to hold a master’s class to film students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, on March 8.

Mehta will then participate in a roundtable on violence against women, following a screening of her 2016 film Anatomy of Violence, also at the same university.

Acclaimed internationally, her emotionally resonating and award-winning films have been played at every major movie festival.

Holmes also revealed that Jeremy Dutcher, an up-and-coming Toronto-based composer and vocal artist, would also be in town. The musician merges two genres—classical and traditional—with his operatic power and tuneful melodies.

“Dutcher blends distinct musical aesthetics into something entirely new, shape-shifting between classical, contemporary, traditional and jazz. He won the Opera New Brunswick’s Young Artist Award in 2012, and is a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts award in the Aboriginal Music category.”

Glabus, on the other hand, specializes in Canadian cuisine with aboriginal influences—or what he calls “modern indigenous cuisine”. Over the years, he had already traveled the world while learning, practicing and sharing his passion for food: from North America to the West Indies, and from Brazil to Japan, Taiwan and China.

“We are proud to bring these Canadian artists to Manila to officially start our activities for Canada’s 150th birthday,” Holmes said.

He concluded: “Beyond excelling in their respective fields, these Canadians are fine examples of the welcoming and empowering cultural mosaic upon which our society is built. We are honored to welcome them to the Philippines, so they can share their experience and their evolution as artists.”