Vancouver, Canada – The Philippines is looking to deepen ties with Canada as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. began a four-day official visit Wednesday, July 1, focused on expanding cooperation in trade, defense, maritime security and investment.
Marcos arrived at Vancouver International Airport at 4:46 p.m. local time (7:46 a.m. Thursday in Manila), marking the first official visit by a Philippine president to Canada in more than a decade.
The president is scheduled to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss a plan of action that will guide the next phase of bilateral relations, with talks expected to center on trade, defense and maritime cooperation, people-to-people ties and expanded air connectivity.
Before departing Manila, Marcos said the visit would build on the “very positive trajectory” of Philippines-Canada relations by pursuing new areas of collaboration, including mining, critical minerals and renewable energy.
Marcos is also set to meet Canadian business leaders to promote investments in mining, information technology-business process management, telecommunications, cybersecurity, nuclear energy and financial services.
The President and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are also expected to meet members of the Filipino community in British Columbia, home to part of the nearly one million Filipinos living in Canada.
