Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo is flying to Canada to further bolster bilateral ties.
His visit to Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto from May 6 to 10 will coincide with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Philippine-Canada ties.
Manalo will deliver a foreign policy address at the Asia Pacific Foundation in Vancouver, according to the statement from his office.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with four Canadian Cabinet Ministers namely: Mélanie Joly, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development; Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development; and Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration.
Manalo will also engage with members of the Canada-Philippines Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group.
“In all these engagements, Secretary Manalo will discuss matters of mutual interest and concerns,” the statement read.
The topics for discussion include: defense cooperation; establishing linkages in cybersecurity and combating cybercrime; maritime cooperation and upholding a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific; enhancing trade, investments, development and technical cooperation in the areas of food, energy and minerals exploration; and cooperation in the UN and other multilateral fora on global issues such as climate change, women and other vulnerable groups, and cybersecurity.
Manalo will also focus on people-to-people linkages as issues relating to credentials recognition and education will be tackled.
Manalo’s visit to Canada follows Joly's visit to the Philippines in May 2023 as well as the successful 6th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) held in Ottawa in October 2023.