Canada is broadening ties with Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners, reaching bilateral agreements with Australia, India and Japan to collaborate on defense, critical mineral supplies and other security issues.
The agreements, which leaders said demonstrate shared commitments to regional security and resilience, came in conjunction with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the Indo-Pacific in February and March 2026.
Notably, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra would join the Canada-led critical minerals alliance among members of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations. The initiative will diversify and secure production and supply of critical minerals vital for semiconductors, batteries and defense applications. Carney called the alliance “the largest grouping of trusted democratic mineral reserves in the world.” Japan and the United States also are members.
The G7 alliance will diversify critical mineral supply chains away from China. Australia has allocated $850 million to build a critical minerals stockpile and those reserves now will be more closely aligned with Canada’s defense stockpiling, Albanese said.
Australia and Canada also will deepen cooperation in defense and maritime security. The nations signed a partnership in July 2025 to adapt Canberra’s technology for use in high-frequency radar in the Arctic. Canadian Armed Forces personnel will train on the over-the-horizon radar system in Australia later in 2026.
Australia is Canada’s largest defense partner in the Indo-Pacific, Carney stated, and “we are focused on growing our relationship and increasing cooperation across military exercises, procurement, and intelligence.”
Meanwhile, Canada and India said they will increase defense cooperation, including maritime security, and seek bilateral and multilateral naval engagements “to deepen interoperability and promote knowledge exchange.” The nations also plan to cooperate on security matters including countering illegal drugs — particularly fentanyl precursors — and transnational organized crime.
The Canadian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation agreed to cooperate on space exploration initiatives and to strengthen collaboration on developing and deploying artificial intelligence.
During Carney’s visit to Japan, Ottawa and Tokyo agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense, economics and energy security. Carney and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said they will establish bilateral talks on economic security and cyber policies as the nations face China’s growing economic and military assertiveness. For instance, Beijing imposed stringent export controls on rare-earth materials and battery manufacturing equipment in October 2025. Additionally, China Coast Guard vessels intruded into the contiguous zone around the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea almost daily in 2025.
Canada and Japan also said they will explore an agreement to streamline joint exercises and other defense operations. They also plan to increase defense industry cooperation as Tokyo seeks to expand its domestic defense capacity to strengthen deterrence.