Four members of the Legislative Assembly from the Northwest Territories are embarking on a trip to Taiwan this week to explore shared interests between the two regions. Jane Weyallon Armstrong, Robert Hawkins, Richard Edjericon, and Shane Thompson will spend six days in Taiwan, starting on Friday. The agenda includes meetings with government officials, business leaders, and Indigenous organizations to discuss various topics such as economic development, trade, tourism, Indigenous relations, clean energy, critical minerals, and innovation, as announced by the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Thompson, representing Nahendeh, mentioned that the planning for this trip has been ongoing for three years, with discussions initially initiated during a visit to Vancouver in 2023. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver extended an invitation to the 12 regular MLAs from the N.W.T., offering a total of six spots for the visit. The Taiwanese government will cover the expenses for the trip, ensuring no cost to taxpayers, and the MLAs have notified the N.W.T.’s integrity commissioner about the excursion.
For Thompson, the visit to Taiwan presents an opportunity to gain insights into the Taiwanese government’s relationship with its Indigenous population and to promote tourism in the N.W.T. Edjericon, representing Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, expressed his focus on tourism, critical minerals, Indigenous relationships, and fostering stronger connections between the two democracies to showcase the North’s value for investments.
While some MLAs opted out of the trip due to prior commitments, others like Shauna Morgan and Julian Morse questioned the relevance of the visit to their work with constituents, expressing concerns about navigating geopolitical tensions in the region involving China. Thompson clarified that they are attending as independent MLAs to enhance the N.W.T.’s ties with Taiwan and not as representatives of the federal government.
The timing of this trip follows Conservative MP Michael Chong’s visit to Taiwan in May, which he described as an assertion of Canada’s sovereignty and a defiance of warnings from the Chinese government regarding parliamentary visits to the region. Scott Simon, the co-chair of Taiwan studies at the University of Ottawa, highlighted the delicate balance in Canada-Taiwan relations amid tensions with China, emphasizing that the visit aligns with Canada’s stance of neither endorsing nor challenging China’s claim over Taiwan.
Simon emphasized the importance of this visit in maintaining diplomatic relations and asserted that it signifies Canada’s exercise of autonomy in international affairs, which he believes is in the country’s best interest. He noted that parliamentary and MLA engagements with Taiwan do not pose a direct challenge to China’s territorial claims, contributing to Canada’s strategic autonomy in managing relationships with major global powers.
