President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will travel to Canada for an official visit from July 1 to 4 aimed at strengthening the Philippines-Canada partnership and advancing cooperation in key strategic sectors, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced on Friday.
The visit comes at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. During the trip, Marcos and Carney are expected to hold bilateral talks aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
According to the PCO, the two leaders will assess the progress of ongoing defense and security engagements, efforts to expand trade and investment, and explore new opportunities to enhance cooperation in economic resilience, energy, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence. They are also expected to discuss ways to reinforce people-to-people ties between the two countries.
“The two leaders are expected to assess progress in defense and security engagements and efforts to expand trade and investment, and explore avenues to bolster cooperation in enhancing economic resilience, strengthening collaboration in energy and critical minerals, and reinforce people-to-people linkages,” the PCO said.
The meeting will also include discussions on the Philippines' upcoming ASEAN Chairship and its strategic priorities for the region. Canada has been an ASEAN Dialogue Partner since 1977 and has maintained a Strategic Partnership with ASEAN since 2023.
Marcos will be accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, who will join him in meeting with members of the Filipino community in Vancouver in recognition of the contributions of overseas Filipinos to the strong ties between the Philippines and Canada, the PCO said.
The visit marks the first official visit by a Philippine president to Canada in more than a decade, following the trip of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in 2015.
It also comes two years after the Philippines and Canada commemorated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
