Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence hosted Richard Marles, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, in Vancouver for a bilateral meeting.
Minister Blair and Deputy Prime Minister Marles endorsed a Joint Statement on Strengthening the Canada-Australia Defence Relationship. This statement commits to increased military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, continued support of Ukraine, and collaboration on current and future common equipment platforms between Canada and Australia.
During today's bilateral meeting, Minister Blair welcomed the growing defence and security cooperation between Canada and Australia, which are close friends and Five Eyes partners.
Minister Blair highlighted that Canada's renewed vision for defence, Our North, Strong and Free, identifies the Indo-Pacific as a region of key strategic importance for Canada's future security and prosperity. Minister Blair noted that through Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada's military presence in the region has increased, including the annual deployment of three warships to the Indo-Pacific, enabling the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to conduct more activities and exercises with partners like Australia. Minister Blair also noted Canada's investments in new naval capabilities. In June 2024, construction began on a new fleet of 15 River-class destroyers for the RCN and in July 2024, Minister Blair announced that Canada is launching the process to acquire up to 12 conventionally-powered submarines.
Both Ministers agreed to explore further opportunities for Canada-Australia defence collaboration, including more joint activities in the Indo-Pacific.
Minister Blair and Deputy Prime Minister Marles also reiterated their condemnation of Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine and noted that both countries will continue to provide Ukraine with military assistance as members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Minister Blair and Deputy Prime Minister Marles also welcomed the increasing ties between NATO and its four Indo-Pacific partners - recognising that security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are interrelated - and Minister Blair affirmed that Canada will remain a strong advocate within NATO for building even closer relations with trusted partners like Australia.
The Ministers agreed on the importance of preventing and deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific region and expressed concern regarding China's increasing military activity in the South China Sea and the vicinity of Taiwan.
With the increasing global threat environment, the relationship between Canada and Australia is more important than ever to ensure a more stable, peaceful world. The Canadian Armed Forces are committed to making reliable and valuable contributions to our allies and partners, particularly in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
