President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have signified their willingness to enhance the trade and defense cooperation between the Philippines and Canada.

The commitment was made during a phone call with Carney, Marcos said in a Facebook post on Friday.

Marcos said he had a “very good” conversation with Carney, as they look forward to a stronger partnership for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.

“We discussed how our two nations can further strengthen and deepen cooperation in trade, defense, and maintaining peace in our region,” he said.

The two leaders also discussed the close economic and cultural ties between Canada and the Philippines, according a statement posted on Carney’s official website.

“Prime Minister Carney emphasized opportunities to deepen Canada’s relationship with the Philippines in investment and commerce, including by advancing free trade,” the statement read.

“The two leaders agreed on the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and of the efforts of both Canada and the Philippines to uphold the rules-based international order and security in the region.”

A census conducted by Statistics Canada showed that as of 2021, a total of 925,490 people in Canada were of Filipino ethnic origin.

Filipinos and Filipino-Canadians constitute the third-largest population in Canada in terms of ethnic or cultural origin, after the Indian (1,347,715) and Chinese (1,713,870) populations in the host country.

Marcos also thanked Carney for Canada’s swift assistance to the Filipino community in Vancouver after the tragic incident at the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival.

About 11 people were killed and several others were injured when a sports utility vehicle plowed into a crowd at a Filipino street festival dubbed as Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, Canada in April.

During the phone call, Carney extended an invitation to Marcos to visit Canada.

“The leaders will remain in close contact,” Carney’s office said.

Canada and the Philippines are currently negotiating a free trade agreement aimed at expanding bilateral trade, investment, and sectoral cooperation.

In 2023, Canada-Philippine bilateral merchandise trade reached USD3.4 billion, higher than the USD3.1 billion registered in 2022.

Canada’s foreign direct investment in the Philippines stood at USD983 million in 2021. (PNA)