Why Trudeau flew to the other side of the world to spend less than 48 hours in Southeast Asia

Amid the threat of an early federal election, the prime minister left Ottawa on Tuesday during a chaotic parliamentary sitting week to travel 27 hours to the other side of the world. 

Once he landed, Justin Trudeau spent a little less than 48 hours on the ground in the capital of Laos, meeting with world leaders and announcing a $128-million package to a bloc of 10 Southeast Asian countries.

It wasn't the biggest prime ministerial announcement, but the dollar figure wasn't the driving force behind the journey. 

Despite everything unfolding on Parliament Hill — including MPs mounting a new effort to oust Trudeau (a story that broke during the prime minister's return flight to Ottawa) — senior government officials believed missing out on the ASEAN summit wasn't an option.

Canada had its status with the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) elevated last year for the first time since becoming a dialogue partner back in 1977.

If Trudeau didn't show up at this year's summit, the federal government could have been accused of snubbing Southeast Asia. And senior government officials feared nine years of work trying to burnish Canada's reputation as a reliable partner that wants to become a bigger player in the region could have gone out the window.

"It is important for Canada to be an active participant," said Julie Nguyen, chair of Canada-ASEAN initiatives at York University in Toronto.

That means flying to Vientiane, Laos — 12,956 kilometres away from Ottawa — to reassure Southeast Asian counterparts face-to-face that the federal government is serious about the strategic partnership that Canada and the ASEAN committed to advancing, she said.

Trudeau's arrival in Vientiane marked the first visit of a Canadian prime minister to Laos, a small, landlocked country north of Thailand.

It was also Trudeau's third consecutive year at the ASEAN summit — a detail he made a point of repeating during his speech to world leaders, at a panel in front of business groups, and while addressing reporters at his news conference. 

He also emphasized Canada's trade with the ASEAN has nearly doubled since he came into office in 2015. Ottawa launched an Indo-Pacific strategy and is aiming to ink free-trade deals with Indonesia this year and the ASEAN as a bloc next year, he said. 

Trudeau wants to keep that momentum going. He announced his government is launching new trade missions in Thailand and Cambodia. He also unveiled $128 million for a range of ASEAN initiatives, including for security, promoting women's rights and combating climate change.

But faced with the possibility of hitting the campaign trail at any moment, will Trudeau's work survive his government?

It was one of the first questions asked at the prime minister's closing news conference on Friday before he headed to the tarmac to fly back to Ottawa.