President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announced the elevation of bilatera; relations with Canada into a Strategic Partnership.

“We have tasked our Foreign Ministers to draw up a Plan of Action to pursue our shared commitment to work together in adapting to shifting global realities, addressing shared challenges, and building capacities for a future-ready partnership,” said Marcos and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a joint press statement.after a bilateral meeting at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

“We recognize that robust defense and security cooperation underpins the strong momentum of our relations. Recent milestones in this pillar underscore the shared commitment of our countries in ensuring that our peoples continue to live in a peaceful and secure region.”

Marcos expressed gratitude to Canada on Thursday for its continuous backing for a rules-based order in the South China Sea and for upholding the Arbitral Award secured by the Philippines in 2016.

“As the Philippines celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award on the South China Sea, I thanked Canada for its vocal and consistent support for a rules-based order in the South China Sea, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and in upholding the Arbitral Award as final and legally binding,” Marcos said in his remarks during the joint press statement with Carney.

The Arbitral Award, a landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration under UNCLOS, was officially finalized on July 12, 2016.

The tribunal favored the Philippines and invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” as it ruled that China’s historic rights claims over the South China Sea have no legal basis.

The President likewise thanked Canada for its Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) Program, which was deployed to the Philippines to help the country combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and increase maritime domain awareness.

The President said he conveyed keen interest to the Canadian side in the continuation of the DVD program in Philippine waters.

Marcos said he and Carney welcomed the signing of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in November 2025, which is, due for ratification by the Philippine Senate and the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and the Statement of Intent on Strengthening Defense Cooperation between the Philippines and Canada two weeks ago. Presidential News Desk