Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to Laos for ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau boards a government plane with his son Hadrien at the airport, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is travelling to Laos today to take part in the ASEAN Summit.

Canada is not a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but has a strategic partnership with ASEAN and is hoping to conclude a trade deal with the 10-nation bloc by the end of next year.

Canada and Indonesia are also working toward a trade deal that's set to be signed by the end of this year.

The trip marks the first official visit to Laos by a Canadian prime minister and Trudeau is set to meet with leaders from several member nations during the summit.

Together, the ASEAN countries represented Canada's fourth-largest trading partner in 2023 when it comes to merchandise trade.

The summit begins on Thursday and Trudeau is set to travel to Germany on Saturday for a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which will be chaired by U.S. President Joe Biden.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.