The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, will travel to Canada to meet with his counterpart, the Hon Bill Blair, Minister of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Defence from 7 – 8 August.
Canada is a close friend and a valued partner with whom we share a longstanding history of defence cooperation.
The visit, which follows the AUSMIN 2024 in Washington DC, will build on discussions between the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Blair at the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue and provide an opportunity to discuss challenges faced and opportunities within the bilateral defence relationship in support of global rules and norms.
As Indo-Pacific nations, our two countries support a region which is peaceful, stable and prosperous.
Our two countries are also committed to information sharing to strengthen our security and national interests, as members of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership.
Quotes attributable to Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP:
“Canada is a close partner, who we share many common interests with. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Blair to further advance our defence relationship.
“In the face of our increasingly complex strategic circumstances, Australia, Canada and our other Five Eyes partners are committed to supporting the global rules-based order.
“Reflective of a partnership built on friendship and strong people to people links, it is wonderful to know our emergency services have supported Canada in the face of natural disaster, just as their firefighters have been there for Australia in the past.”