Xi Jinping confronts Justin Trudeau over leaked agenda Once you VEX XI it will only take another interlocutor for Canada at G20 over 'leaked' conversation de...

Bloggers note: A small potato cannot play diplomat.. ..How humiliated can we be the G 20.opportunity

have Canada at a great disadvantage bring back the boys with short pants home  and send in the real Mc Coy...

Once you VEX XI it will only take another interlocutor for Canada

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CHAMPAGNE INTERVIEW Canada should 'decouple' supply chain relationship with China, innovatio...

B;logers note ": with Transcript SEE at 3.37  CRITICAL MINERALS INDUSTRY and CHINA OWNED Canadian companies

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thank you for joining us as we mentioned

0:02

the prime minister is currently on a

0:04

10-day trip through Asia tomorrow he

0:06

will be at the G20 Summit in Bali

0:08

Indonesia he's also there to highlight

0:10

Canada's upcoming indo-pacific strategy

0:13

part of that of course how Canada will

0:15

approach a more powerful China Canada

0:17

has already taken steps in recent weeks

0:19

to limit China's involvement in key

0:22

Industries in this country I spoke with

0:24

the minister of innovation Science and

0:25

Industry Francois Philip champagne about

0:28

that earlier

0:30

Minister champagne thank you for joining

0:32

us from White Horse today I appreciate

0:34

you doing that

0:35

well it's very good to be here actually

0:37

uh you know it's a part of the country

0:40

that I love very much a bit chilly these

0:42

days but uh you know Northern Light

0:43

there's a lot of good things going on

0:45

here yeah

0:47

um I want to get right into it uh

0:48

Minister Jolie gave some a preview I

0:51

think it would be fair to say of the

0:52

indo-pacific uh strategy and policy that

0:55

will be announced in the coming days but

0:56

you've been doing a lot of work sort of

0:58

in and around that notion particularly

1:00

around resilient Supply chains in China

1:02

uh you have said that we need to see a

1:05

decoupling uh from China and regimes

1:08

that don't share our values how hard is

1:10

that uh going to be how hard are you

1:12

finding it to be given how much we have

1:15

relied on China and its Manufacturing in

1:17

the past

1:18

well you know it's clear that we're

1:20

going to continue to export and import

1:21

uh from China but what I said is that we

1:24

need to align closely with our American

1:26

friends uh something is clear to me we

1:28

need to stop to be overly reliant on

1:31

countries who don't share our basic

1:32

values and at a time where you talk to

1:34

Global CEOs and you see global supply

1:36

chain becoming more Regional uh more

1:39

emphasis on resiliency than pure

1:41

efficiency that plays very well to

1:43

Canada what I want to be is to be the

1:45

green supply of choice to our partners

1:47

allies around the world that's why I was

1:49

in Korea recently that I'm going to

1:52

Korea I was in Japan recently I'm going

1:53

back to Japan then I'll be in Germany

1:55

and and I think our allies around the

1:57

world they see Canada as a place to be

2:00

when it comes for example of sourcing

2:02

critical minerals when I was in

2:04

Washington I was talking to our U.S

2:06

friends you know we need to do more on

2:08

the chip side because if you look at the

2:10

inflation reduction Act and the chips

2:12

act in the United States in my view this

2:15

is all about resiliency yeah and how we

2:17

increase resilience in North America

2:18

guys by working together so my message

2:21

to Washington is that Canada is the

2:23

partner of choice if we want to be more

2:25

resilient when it comes to our critical

2:26

Supply chains well let me ask you about

2:28

that is it because of the United States

2:31

and their approach to China that we are

2:32

acting or were we worried we were going

2:34

to get left behind if we didn't make a

2:36

dramatic shift in terms of how we were

2:38

approaching Global Supply chains

2:40

well I would say it's in it's in

2:42

Canada's best interest when it comes to

2:44

for example the critical supply chain

2:46

yes I do believe that we need to be

2:48

aligned with our U.S friends for me to

2:50

increase resiliency to be

2:53

avoiding of being overly dependent on a

2:56

few countries who don't share our basic

2:58

values or basic principle when it comes

3:01

to human rights when it comes to labor

3:03

law when it comes to human dignity I

3:06

think this is in in Canada's best

3:08

interests and and I've been putting that

3:10

Vision that Minister Julie has laid out

3:13

in action you know we've been engaging

3:15

very much with our partners in Japan

3:17

I'll be doing the same in in South Korea

3:20

and you've seen what we've done with

3:22

Germany by signing an mou with

3:24

Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz which I

3:26

think is going to lead to further

3:28

investments in Canada well and I have

3:30

some questions about electric vehicles

3:31

because I know you like talking about it

3:33

but definitely yeah you should be with

3:35

me on the road let's talk about the

3:37

critical minerals industry because

3:38

you've decided that you were going to

3:40

require three Chinese businesses to sell

3:42

their stake in Canadian firms should I

3:46

interpret that then as an indication

3:47

that you don't trust China that you

3:49

don't want them to hold those kinds of

3:52

investment in this country particularly

3:54

for something that's so critical

3:57

well I think what you should interpret

3:58

is that I'm going to be protecting our

4:00

national security these Investments go

4:02

to a very rigorous process and I think

4:04

you know my role and I think this is

4:07

widely shared by Canadians is that we

4:09

need to protect for example the critical

4:11

minerals that we have in Canada we want

4:13

to develop them we want to refine them

4:15

we want to do that with with partners

4:17

and allies around the world but we need

4:19

to engage with companies who would want

4:21

to take stake in these companies it was

4:22

eyes wide open and that's why the time I

4:25

invoke National Security to block these

4:27

transactions and you know I will be

4:29

looking at these transactions with

4:31

enhanced scrutiny at every step of the

4:33

way to make sure that these critical

4:35

minerals whether we're talking about

4:37

lithium we're talking about graphite

4:39

we're talking about manganese we're

4:40

talking about nickel the type of things

4:42

Rosie that are going to be powering our

4:44

economy of the 21st century we've been

4:46

blessed by geography so let's let's mine

4:49

these critical minerals let's refine

4:51

them let's add value in Canada but I'm

4:53

also mindful of you know state-owned

4:55

companies of different countries would

4:57

want to take Equity interest in our

4:59

company and I will apply and then

5:01

scrutiny and I will block any

5:03

transaction any transaction that I don't

5:05

find to be in the National Security

5:07

interest of Canada should we expect more

5:09

of that are you reviewing current deals

5:11

to see whether there are other countries

5:13

that you don't want to hold those kinds

5:15

of Investments I said very openly that

5:18

when it comes to state-owned Enterprises

5:20

we want to take stake in Canadian mining

5:22

companies when it comes to critical

5:24

minerals that in this case we would only

5:27

approve them in exceptional

5:28

circumstances and I think this is what

5:30

Canadians expect from us it's about time

5:32

that we we put our foot down and make

5:35

sure that you know these critical

5:36

minerals are going to be ex you know

5:39

they're going to be mine and refined

5:41

here in Canada with partners and and I'm

5:44

going to be watching that very very

5:47

carefully because this is the type of

5:49

thing that's going to fuel the economy

5:50

the 21st century we happen to have them

5:52

in Canada we need to protect them you

5:54

were as you said that the Minister of

5:55

Foreign Affairs five years ago you had a

5:57

very different attitude towards China

5:59

you were interested in exploring free

6:01

trade talks did the government have the

6:03

wrong approach on China for too long

6:05

minister

6:06

well I would say the you know China of

6:09

2015 and China of 2022 is very different

6:12

I think at the time not only Canada but

6:15

I would say largely if you look at the

6:16

G7 and many countries around the world

6:19

there was a time where when China came

6:22

to WTO that there was a time where

6:25

people were saying uh you know further

6:28

engaging with China you know my view

6:31

today is one which takes into account

6:34

that obviously we're going to continue

6:36

to export and import with China but when

6:39

it comes to critical Supply chains

6:41

particularly when it comes to critical

6:43

minerals microchips I think we need to

6:45

engage with eyes wide open and I think

6:47

this is what the strategy is about

6:49

diversification and and I've been

6:51

putting that strategy in action uh

6:53

honestly because engaging further with

6:55

South Korea engaging more with Japan

6:58

engaging more with Germany I think it's

7:00

in Canada's best interest this is

7:02

looking at the long term and I think

7:05

these steps that we've been taking and

7:06

what Minister Julie has laid out is

7:09

really in line with what I feel when I'm

7:11

talking to to CEOs around the world this

7:14

is you know supply chain are becoming

7:16

more original more resiliency and Canada

7:18

shines in that why because stability

7:21

predictability and the rule of laws and

7:22

short demand is in high demand and short

7:25

supply and Canada stands out in the

7:27

world when it comes to to that so we've

7:29

been able to attract investment people

7:31

are looking for example to Talent

7:33

they're looking to the ecosystems that

7:35

we have they're looking critical

7:36

minerals renewable energy and access the

7:39

market and that's our moment to shine

7:41

that's why I keep saying let's be

7:42

ambitious that seize the moment everyone

7:44

wants to come invest in Canada right now

7:46

well let me end on on one of your

7:48

favorite topics anyway the one that you

7:49

spend an awful lot of time on you

7:50

mentioned mous with Germany's Volkswagen

7:53

and and Mercedes on developing electric

7:55

vehicle Manufacturing in in this country

7:58

you did go down to California I believe

8:01

and and have some talks with Tesla

8:03

that's one of the leading companies you

8:05

know how important it is to to the

8:07

system any inroads there with trying to

8:09

get them to move up here as well

8:11

you're well informed uh yes I'm talking

8:14

to everyone you know me Rosie I'm not

8:15

the type of guy to sit at my desk in an

8:17

office uh you know business is going on

8:19

around the world I've been in Fremont

8:21

we've been talking to to Tesla we're

8:23

exploring a number of different things

8:25

with them uh again I I said very humbly

8:28

I said uh you know consumers are going

8:31

to move from an electric car to a green

8:33

car and I was making the point that

8:35

Canada is the place to be we're going to

8:37

be producing green steel green aluminum

8:39

I'm working on green batteries I want to

8:41

build green microchips and and my my my

8:44

word I keep saying to the people you

8:46

know not everyone wakes up in the world

8:48

thinking about Canada my job and our job

8:50

is to make the case for Canada and in

8:52

this case when I was in Fremont in

8:54

California I would say listen the market

8:56

is moving I think now consumers pension

8:59

fund you look financial institutions

9:01

they want to see a more decarbonized

9:04

economy and therefore moving from a pure

9:07

electric car to a green car is the way

9:09

to go and I think in this sense Canada

9:11

offers everything that these big

9:13

manufacturers would want that's how we

9:15

signed with Mercedes-Benz that's what

9:18

we've done with Volkswagen and by the

9:20

way Rosemary just to tell you both

9:23

Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen asked me to

9:25

go present to their Global board meeting

9:27

in Germany to make the case for Canada

9:29

so what we've done is paying dividends

9:31

and I'm going to continue to fight at

9:34

every step of the way it's a very

9:35

competitive world but I think so far so

9:38

good we're going to have the full

9:39

battery ecosystem we're going to produce

9:41

the car of the future right here in

9:42

Canada providing jobs for decades to

9:44

come okay Minister you are a busy busy

9:47

man so thank you for making the time for

9:48

us appreciate it

9:49

always a pleasure thanks for having me

9:51

from the Yukon today