Marcos heads to Canada to deepen trade, defense ties

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. departed for Canada on Wednesday night for his first official visit to the country, aiming to deepen bilateral ties through investment cooperation, expanded trade, defense, and regional security cooperation. Marcos left at 8:26 p.m. with First Lady Liza Marcos and several members of the Cabinet upon the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney. "At the onset of my administration, we intensified our campaign for diversification of partnerships—strengthening existing ones and building new strategic ones. With Canada, we have seen an unprecedented momentum in the deepening of bilateral relations," Marcos said in his departure speech. "Our diplomatic ties with Canada span 77 years and continue to grow from strength to strength," he added, citing increased cooperation in defense and security, economic development and people-to-people ties. The President said he would also meet with the Filipino community in Canada, now numbering close to one million. "They are well-respected and sought after for their skills, professionalism, and dedication," he said. A key priority of the visit is advancing economic relations, including negotiations for a Philippines-Canada Free Trade Agreement alongside the broader ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement. Marcos said he would seek to attract Canadian investments in key sectors, including mining, critical minerals, renewable energy, nuclear energy, telecommunications, information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), cybersecurity, and financial services. "I intend to hold one-on-one business meetings and participate in roundtable discussions with private sector leaders" to promote the Philippines as an investment destination, he said. The President also highlighted recent progress in bilateral ties, including the entry of Philippine mangoes into the Canadian market, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation in 2024, the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in 2025, and the inaugural Philippines-Canada Maritime Dialogue earlier this year. Marcos also underscored Canada's consistent support for the Philippines' sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, saying Ottawa has backed Manila's position in both bilateral and multilateral forums. "Canada has been consistent and steadfast in its statements of support for the Philippines' assertion of its sovereignty and sovereign rights," he said, adding that both countries share a commitment to a rules-based international order anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award. During the visit, Marcos is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Carney, followed by an expanded meeting between their respective delegations. The President said he expects the discussions to produce a broad framework for a bilateral Plan of Action, which will guide future cooperation and further elevate Philippines-Canada relations.—LDF, GMA News