Canada is eyeing to have a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines to improve humanitarian and disaster response and defense cooperation.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, a senior Canadian Embassy official said this would be the next step following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippines.
The Embassy official said no formal talks yet on the possible PH-Canada Status of the Visiting Forces Agreement or SOFVA.
“This is a complicated piece. We have different legislative requirements in the two countries,” the Canadian official said.
Canada also hopes to conduct more ‘collaborative maritime activities’ in the Philippines this year.
It can be recalled that the two countries held joint sails in the West Philippine Sea in 2023 as part of Ottawa’s bid to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Having this agreement makes it easier to do those things [humanitarian and disaster response] but also having that agreement in place allows us to do deeper kinds of military training,” the Canadian official said.
Canada is among countries who are supportive of the policy of the Philippines in upholding rule of law in the South China Sea.
