News / Brèves Productive Credit / Crédit productif Back to previous selection / Retour à la sélection précédente Member of Parliament Asks Conservatives: Will Canada Join the AIIB? 27 March 2015 On Thursday, during Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons, a question was addressed to the Government asking if Canada would join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank? Here is the full question and answer as reported in Hansard: Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, NDP): Mr. Speaker, as the Conference Board has just demonstrated, the Conservative trade strategy for Asia has underperformed, with Canada losing ground to our competitors in investment, services and value-added exports. Now we are missing another opportunity. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is being launched and will be a major international institution providing access to billions in Asian infrastructure projects. The deadline to become a founding member is March 31. The U.K., Germany, France and Australia have all joined. Will Canada join too, or will Conservatives miss another key opportunity to engage with Asia? [Expand] Mr. Andrew Saxton (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to assess whether it will become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and will make a decision that is in Canada’s national interest. We have also been informed that Canada’s participation will be welcome at any time.