Canada and the Philippines recently celebrated 75 years of diplomatic ties, savoring the long accomplishment arc under which the two countries’ many shared goals have been realized.

Co-founding the United Nations, the Philippines and Canada have collaborated to create the laws and organizations now governing the world.

Both nations have a long and distinguished history as democracies, making significant contributions to the definitions of the fundamental freedoms, guiding communities by virtue of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Canada and the Philippines have collaborated since 1949 when formal diplomatic relations were established to create a stable and secure global community.

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said the strong interpersonal links that exist between Philippine and Canadian societies improve this partnership journey moving forward.

Over a million Canadians identify as Filipino, a cultural identity that has grown to be vital to the country’s diverse society.

The Philippines now has a unique position in Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy because of these close relationships.

Since 2022, when Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy, the collaboration with the Philippines has grown quickly:

More in-depth political discussions. Leaders have convened three times in the past two years, and more than a dozen ministerial and secretarial visits have taken place between the two nations: The most recent: Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo’s trip to Canada in May.

“Canada has been a steadfast partner to the Philippines in upholding and defending international law in the South China Sea, as we have worked collaboratively at the UN and the WTO, as well as at Asean, to tackle common challenges,” Hartman said in a recent commentary.

“Canada has also worked with its G7 partners to focus attention on the challenges facing the Philippines — work that we will carry forward as host of the next G7 Leaders Summit in 2025.”

“Canada chose the Philippines as the host country for its Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-food Office, which we officially opened in February — a step that creates new commercial opportunities on both sides of the Pacific, including those to strengthen food security,” Hartman said.

The two nations signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation at the beginning of the year.

The military forces of the two nations have been strengthening their relationship, training together and improving their interoperability.

Together with ships from the Philippines, Japan and the United States, a Royal Canadian Navy destroyer took part in a cooperative maritime exercise in Philippine waters. In the next months, a Canadian ship will also take part in Exercise Sama-Sama.

The two countries are also working hard to get to an agreement about the Status of Visiting Forces.

Canada also put new rules into place last year regarding the use of the Electronic Travel Authorization to facilitate travel between the two countries. Since this approach was instituted, more than 175,000 applications have been processed, resulting in new opportunities for Filipinos to visit Canada for business.

“Through our development cooperation, we are helping to implement the peace agreement in the BARMM, open new opportunities for Philippine farmers, improve disaster resilience and combat the effects of climate change,” Hartman said.

“We have also established new lines of cooperation in cyber security and cyber defense, the battle against malign influence and economic coercion, the use of space technologies and satellite systems and the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.”

According to Hartman, the two governments are currently following up on the Prime Minister Trudeau’s invitation for President Marcos to visit Canada later this year.

“[This,] to seize on the momentum in the relationship, articulate our shared ambitions for the future and set out a path to achieve them.”

The two nations are also increasing prospects for the two countries’ business communities to build a more prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

“To that end, there will be an integrated Team Canada Trade Mission to the Philippines in December — bringing hundreds of representatives from Canadian companies, business associations and government, to build connections to enhance two-way trade and investment for Canadians and Filipinos,” Hartman said.

“The future of Canada-Philippines relations is bright and promising. Guided by shared values, including our commitments to democracy, transparency, the rule of law, inclusivity and respect for human rights, we are well positioned to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world.”

“By seizing the potential in this partnership, we can resolve common challenges and advance our shared goals.”