Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will make a rare visit to Burma

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will make a rare visit to Burma, one of Asia's most repressive and dictatorial regimes, amid signs the ruling military junta will allow more democratic freedoms in the country.

Baird will be the first Canadian foreign minister to visit the Southeast Asian nation. The trip will likely be officially announced Tuesday.

In response to widespread human-rights abuses and military crackdowns against protesters, Canada imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions against Burma in 1988. These sanctions ban military exports to the country, hinder trade, and deny visas to senior members of the regime.

"We are visiting at a time when we're cautiously optimistic about recent changes," a source told Postmedia News. "While we're not at a point of lifting sanctions, we want to make sure advances made are not reversible."

Burma's ruling junta surprised many when it liberated opposition politician and pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi - who was kept under house arrest for 15 years - in November. In January, she announced she would run for a seat in a parliamentary byelection, and has been campaigning since.

Speaking via video conference to an audience at Carleton University last week, Suu Kyi thanked Canada for its help in pushing Burma toward democracy, saying sanctions have been effective.

"Canada has helped us greatly with regard to our movement toward democracy," said Suu Kyi, who was named an honorary Canadian in 2007.

While there are positive signs the junta is becoming more moderate, she said, it's too early to call.

"Don't be too optimistic. Don't be too pessimistic. Try to see things as they are and try to keep contact with the ordinary people of Burma," she said. "The way in which you can continue to help us is to keep up your awareness of what is happening in Burma."

The first indication Canadian Friends of Burma executive director Tin Maung Htoo received that Baird was looking to visit the country came during a meeting with Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on Feb. 29.

Htoo said the Conservative government has been taking a "wait-and-see" approach to Burma, likely to ensure the reforms that have been launched by the ruling junta are real and not simply window-dressing. He pointed to the fact hundreds of political prisoners remain detained.

But at the same time, foreign ministers from a variety of Western nations, including British Foreign Secretary William Hague and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have visited, meeting specifically with Suu Kyi. Htoo said it's time Canada followed suit.

Elliot Tepper, a professor of political science at Carleton University, said Canada has stood out for its persistent pressure on Burma.

"The junta has been under severe sanctions by most countries of the world, but in particular by Canada," he said. "This current government has been really strong on the issue of Burma, kind of a world leader in this regard."

Tepper said the current regime is struggling to gain some democratic legitimacy, but that it's too early to know whether democratic reforms have truly taken root.

"The question on everyone's mind is how real it is, whether this is window dressing or will these reforms be institutionalized and lead to significant change," he said.

Diplomatic relations with Burma have improved, evidenced by Burma's sending of a full-fledged ambassador to Canada last year. In recent years, Burma's top diplomat was a charge d'affaires, indicating cool bilateral relations.

Burma's ambassador was not available for comment Monday.