RCMP Act - Pa1rt VII Subsection 45.45(14)
COMMISSION INTERIM REPORT

Table of Contents

4 THE APEC Conference

4.1. PURPOSE OF APEC

4.2. CANADA AS HOST

4. THE APEC CONFERENCE

4.1. Purpose of APEC

The history and purpose of APEC conferences, the nature of the meetings, and the role of Canada as host of the 1997 conference were described in evidence. APEC is an economic forum which promotes trade and economic cooperation among its member economies around the Pacific Rim. According to the Deputy Director of the APEC Coordinating Office (ACCO), members are referred to as "economies" rather than "countries" because of the participation of the three Chinese economies - the People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong, China - not all of which are recognized as countries by the international community. Members in 1997 were:

Leaders of those economies and their senior advisors and officials meet annually.

4.2. Canada as Host

According to the evidence, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien had declared 1997 as "Canada's Year of Asia Pacific." As part of that initiative, Canada hosted meetings of senior officials and ministers, as well as cultural activities and other conferences across Canada, leading up to the APEC conference in Vancouver.

The schedule at Vancouver involved senior officials' meetings earlier in the week, followed by ministerial meetings, a break on Sunday and then meetings of the leaders on the Monday and Tuesday. Most events took place at the Vancouver Trade and

Convention Centre until the final day when the leaders were scheduled to meet at the Museum of Anthropology on the UBC campus, with lunch at nearby Norman Mackenzie House, the official residence of the President of UBC.

It became apparent at the hearing that the reason for holding the meeting at UBC was to provide a retreat-like setting, out of the centre of the city, where leaders could meet in relative isolation. Similar retreats had been a feature of previous meetings.