The Philippines and Canada have signed a landmark labor and migration agreement to further strengthen the protection of Filipino workers.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Canada’s Department of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC Canada) signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Labor and Migration Cooperation on 2 July 2026, in Vancouver, affirming both countries’ shared commitment to fair, ethical, and transparent recruitment practices that prioritize the welfare of migrant workers.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and Prime Minister Mark Carney both witnessed the signing of the declaration, with DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac signing for the Philippines and Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Indira Anand signing for Canada.

Prime Minister Carney said that the agreement is “the first of its kind” and is signed bilaterally by the Canadian federal government.

Cacdac noted that the declaration is more than a diplomatic milestone—it is a concrete step toward making overseas employment safer, fairer, and more accessible for Filipino workers and their families.

“This is the first-ever federal bilateral agreement on labor and migration with Canada,” Cacdac said. “In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we continue to expand and elevate our labor cooperation by affirming our shared values on fair and ethical recruitment.”

The DMW chief added that while the Philippines already has labor cooperation with several Canadian provinces, the new declaration establishes, for the first time, a shared framework with Canada’s federal government outlining the principles that will guide cross-border labor migration.

The Joint Declaration of Intent establishes a framework reaffirming both countries’ commitment to promoting legal migration pathways and ensuring that the recruitment and deployment of workers are governed by the laws and regulations of both the Philippines and Canada.

Among its key commitments is the principle that workers and jobseekers should not be charged recruitment fees or related costs by employers. It likewise underscores fair and ethical recruitment and employment practices, as well as access to information about workers’ rights and grievance mechanisms.