Minister, in two weeks, the sixteenth Halifax International Security Forum will bring together defence and security policy experts from around the world. I think there’s an expectation that there will be a fairly large U.S. congressional delegation, as well as think tank experts who will probably, in some cases, find themselves serving in the new administration.

Do you see this as an opportunity for yourself and other Canadian participants to get in there early with the incoming Trump administration, particularly in terms of setting out Canadian capabilities and policies?

I think it’s a great opportunity to engage and build a stronger relationship with a lot of very important congressional leaders from the United States without anticipating what role they might subsequently play in the future.

Last year was the first time I attended the Halifax International Security Forum as the Minister of National Defence, and I took the opportunity to try to be very frank with everybody who was in attendance that Canada needed to do more and was going to do more. I was quite explicit about the current state of the world, what needed to be done and how Canada needed to step up its game. I also met with the congressional delegation at that time and told them what needed to be done and what we were going to do about it. I think that was helpful.

I’m looking forward to the meeting that will take place in two weeks’ time so I can give them an update on the progress that we are, in fact, making and the investments we are making in defence. I will also be very clear with them that we still have to do more and that we’re going to do more.

Minister, if you play it forward to January, Canada will assume the presidency of the G7. Do you see this as an opportunity for you and your department to engage in terms of leveraging policy issues and looking at some of the big geostrategic concerns that we have now? Have you started your planning?

Thank you very much, senator. There has been some important work. Two weeks ago I was in Naples, and I attended the first G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Defence that has been held in a very long time. Meeting with my counterparts there, we initiated a very important dialogue on the role of the G7 countries and how many of our friends, frankly, who would like to be part of the G7 can contribute. There are really important policy discussions that could arise and will come out of those discussions that will take place in Canada during Canada’s leadership of the G7 next year.

At the same time, let me also share with you that I’ve been meeting very extensively not just with members of the G7 but with a lot of our friends and allies from around the world. They value Canada’s contribution and, in particular, I just want to say, we made a commitment in the Indo-Pacific —