Canada, Philippines sign defense pact to boost military cooperation in Indo-Pacific

Manila [Philippines], November 2 (ANI): Canada on Sunday became the fifth country to sign a defence agreement with the Philippines, enabling both nations to deploy military personnel in each other's territory and deepen defence cooperation, according to Anadolu Agency.

The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) was signed in Makati City following a bilateral meeting between Philippine Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty, it said.

Teodoro said that, while information-sharing and people-to-people relations between the two countries are already "robust," the new pact "would make that robustness enduring," according to local media outlet ABS-CBN.

"Beyond this agreement, we recognise its strategic value of expanding cooperation in critical areas such as maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and cyber defence capability," he said.

The defence secretary further noted that through these areas, both nations could contribute "not only for individual security but also for collective peace and stability in the region," adding that the deal would "resist attempts to redefine the norms for the selfish advantage of powerful countries."

McGuinty said the agreement "will bring our countries closer together at a time," emphasising that it marks Canada's first defence pact with an Asian nation, Anadolu Agency reported.

The signing followed the recent Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea, which included the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and, for the first time, New Zealand.

This pact represents the fifth such agreement for the Philippines, after similar arrangements were made with the United States in 1998, Australia in 2007, Japan in 2024, and New Zealand in April 2025, Anadolu Agency added. (ANI)

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