10-2-2025 (MANILA) Canada and the Philippines are approaching the final stages of a landmark military agreement that would permit reciprocal troop deployments, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman revealed yesterday.
The groundbreaking accord, expected to be finalised before the close of 2025, would position Canada alongside the United States and Japan as nations holding visiting forces agreements with the Southeast Asian archipelago. The move comes as Manila actively expands its defence partnerships, with similar discussions underway with France and New Zealand, against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
“The forthcoming agreement marks a watershed moment in bilateral military cooperation,” Ambassador Hartman told reporters in Manila. “This framework will facilitate more comprehensive training initiatives and deeper strategic partnership between our armed forces.”
Recent diplomatic engagements have seen Canadian officials holding substantive talks with their Filipino counterparts from both defence and foreign affairs ministries. The proposed agreement would notably enable Canadian forces to participate in the extensive annual military exercises traditionally conducted between Philippine and American troops.
The development follows Canada’s increasingly assertive presence in the region, with its navy recently joining multilateral freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.
