The Philippines has formalized a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Canada, marking a significant expansion of defense cooperation as tensions with China intensify in the South China Sea. The agreement grants Canadian forces legal status to operate and train on Philippine soil, paving the way for joint exercises, disaster response operations, and intelligence sharing. Defence Minister David McGuinty called the accord a “strategic enabler” for Canada’s Indo-Pacific outreach, emphasizing its alignment with Ottawa’s plan to project sustained naval and air presence across Asia. Canada already conducts maritime patrols with the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and plans to join the 2026 Balikatan drills. The pact strengthens Manila’s strategy of engaging a broader coalition of partners to counter Beijing’s coercive actions, including collisions and water-cannon incidents around Second Thomas Shoal. For Canada, the VFA offers operational access and influence in a region vital to global trade routes. It also complements its defense industrial cooperation efforts and regional capacity-building initiatives. Philippine officials view the deal as part of a larger effort to diversify alliances, reduce over-reliance on Washington, and attract defense investments. A parallel VFA with France is under negotiation. Regional analysts note that the agreement exemplifies the emerging multilateral defense framework in the Indo-Pacific—linking Western and Asian partners in coordinated deterrence. As geopolitical competition sharpens, the Canada-Philippines partnership symbolizes both countries’ determination to uphold a rules-based maritime order and reinforce regional stability through collective presence and preparedness.
