Today, the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable David J. McGuinty, and the Minister of Defence of Norway, Tore O. Sandvik, signed a Letter of Intent to deepen bilateral cooperation in the space domain. This agreement builds on Canada and Norway's long-standing collaboration and reinforces both countries' commitment to national and collective defence.
The signing took place during Minister McGuinty's visit to Norway with Prime Minister Mark Carney, where they participated in bilateral discussions and meetings to strengthen Canada's Arctic and space security partnerships.
The Letter of Intent outlines shared priorities and establishes a framework to strengthen cooperation across areas including policy, intelligence, research and development, capabilities, and industry, with a particular focus on advancing Arctic security and supporting sovereign defence capabilities. It builds on existing collaboration through the Combined Space Operations Initiative, a partnership of ten like-minded spacefaring nations working together to enhance collective resilience, interoperability, and freedom of action in space in support of military operations.
Canada and Norway are long-standing Allies through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and share important national interests as Arctic nations. Both countries recognize that space capabilities are critical to national defence and security, particularly in remote regions such as the Arctic.
As Arctic Allies with advanced space sectors and growing space industries, Canada and Norway are well positioned to expand bilateral cooperation and strengthen their ability to operate effectively in the space domain and beyond.
