On November 13, 2024, honourable Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood, John McKay, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Rebecca Zimmerman, co-chaired the 242nd meeting of the Canada-U.S. Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD). The PJBD is the principal forum for Canada-U.S. bilateral defense cooperation at the strategic level, bringing key leaders together to discuss bilateral defense priorities. The meeting took place in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.
The Canadian delegation included the Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy; Directors General responsible for International Security, Continental Defence Policy, and Environment and Sustainable Management; as well as representatives from the Strategic Joint Staff; the Canadian Joint Operations Command; the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command; Global Affairs Canada; and Natural Resources Canada.
The U.S. delegation included the Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for the offices responsible for Western Hemisphere Affairs; and Homeland Defense Integration and Defense Support to Civil Authorities; the Principal Directors for the offices of Arctic and Global Resilience; and China, Taiwan and Mongolia; as well as additional representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense; the Joint Staff; the Department of the Air Force; the Department of Homeland Security; the Department of State; and U.S. Northern Command.
The Canadian and U.S. delegations discussed NORAD modernization implementation; Arctic security; climate change; defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific; Latin America and the Caribbean; and critical minerals.
Of note, PJBD discussed joint Canada-U.S. efforts to modernize NORAD as laid out in the Joint Statement on NORAD modernization announced by the Minister of National Defense and the Secretary of Defense in August 2021.
The co-chairs affirmed the importance of the Canada-U.S. defense relationship and the need to intensify collaboration on bilateral defense and security priorities to address current and future threats to the continent. The meeting served as a strong reminder of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices that Canada and the United States have made throughout history to achieve today's multifaceted, interoperable, and unique defense relationship.
