OTTAWA - Defence Minister David McGuinty has signed a defence co-operation agreement with the Philippines during a visit to the country.

The agreement will allow the Canadian and Philippine armed forces to work closer together by participating in operations and exercises in each other’s territories, a National Defence press release said Sunday. The pact follows an earlier memorandum of agreement that included military education, training and capacity building.

“Canada values the Philippines’ vital role in Southeast Asia and remains committed to deepening our defence and security co-operation for regional stability and shared prosperity,” McGuinty said in the release.

The Philippines is one of Canada’s most important defence partners in the Indo-Pacific region, the government said in the release, adding it’s a democratic nation that plays a key role in upholding respect for international law.

Canada and the Philippines are both critics of China’s increasingly coercive actions in the disputed South China Sea, which is a major trade route.

Beijing claims the waterway virtually in its entirety despite a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated its claims based on a 1982 U.N. convention. China has dismissed that ruling and used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking manoeuvres against Philippine coast guard and fisheries vessels.

Canada and other Western nations have been bolstering their military presence in the Indo-Pacific to help promote the rule of law and expand trade and investment in the region.

Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju, South Korea. It was the first formal meeting between leaders of the two countries since 2017.

Both characterized it as a turning point in the relationship, and Carney referred to China as “the rising economic power.”

Carney said Canada’s strategy is to work together where there is common ground and respect one another’s differences, while defending Canadian interests.

On Tuesday, Carney’s government will table its first budget, which is expected to include a substantial increase in defence and infrastructure spending.

McGuinty has said the fiscal plan will set the groundwork for Canada to meet its new commitment to the NATO alliance to increase defence spending to the equivalent of five per cent of GDP, which amounts to a massive spike.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2025.

— With files from Sarah Ritchie and The Associated Press

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