OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 20, 2026 /CNW/ -- "The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, met in Ottawa to reaffirm the strong and enduring partnership between both countries.

As Arctic nations and NATO Allies, Canada and Norway continue to work together to strengthen collective security, support sustainable economic growth, and advance prosperity for northern and Indigenous communities.

Against a backdrop of continued geopolitical uncertainty and evolving security challenges, the Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to NATO and continued support for Ukraine. The Canadian decision to join the German-Norwegian Type 212CD submarine cooperation will mark a significant step forward in the Canada-Norway defence relation and create a once-in-a-generation opportunity to form a strategic partnership and deepen military, industrial, and technological cooperation. Building on this momentum and the existing Memorandum of Understanding regarding bilateral defence cooperation from 2023, Canada and Norway intend, following the conclusion of negotiations for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), to pursue an enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement to support the next phase of bilateral defence cooperation.

Since the adoption of the Joint Statement on Strategic Cooperation in March 2026, Canada and Norway have also deepened collaboration in the Arctic and across defence, critical minerals, energy, science, and emerging technologies. The leaders welcomed the progress achieved and agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation to address evolving geopolitical, economic, and climate-related challenges.

Commitment to Arctic security and cooperation

Canada and Norway continue to work together to bolster deterrence and defence in the Arctic: Arctic security is national security for both countries. As agreed by Leaders in March 2026, Canada and Norway are establishing a bilateral Arctic Dialogue to strengthen cooperation across key areas, including strategic surveillance, situational awareness, interoperability, and research & development. Practical cooperation is also underway through a partnership agreement signed in June 2026 between the Canadian and Norwegian Coast Guards, where both services have already undertaken joint training exercises in Canadian and Norwegian Arctic waters.

Underpinning our commitment to Arctic security and stability is the need to understand the region's unique realities. Science and research are central to that effort. Canada and Norway have strengthened cooperation through a plan to develop a joint research agenda to advance understanding of the Arctic, including collaboration on climate data, research security and knowledge mobility. This work will be supported by a roadmap identifying priority areas of interest. To that end, Polar Knowledge Canada and the Norwegian Polar Institute have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on both Arctic and Antarctic research and provide a platform for both Canada and Norway to increase international leadership within the framework of the upcoming 5th International Polar Year. Building on this foundation, Canada is also deepening collaboration with the five Nordic countries through a partnership between Polar Knowledge Canada and Nordic Energy Research, advancing cooperation on energy solutions for Arctic and remote communities and leveraging our shared expertise as Arctic nations.

Support for Ukraine

Canada and Norway remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine, in its fight for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Norway and Canada continue to work together with partners to operationalize commitments to robust security guarantees for Ukraine, including strengthening military support and support to reconstruction efforts, while coordinating on sanctions, including countering Russia's shadow fleet.

The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) finalized their partnership announced in March 2026, that supports the procurement of military assets for Ukraine.

Next week in Toronto, Canada and Norway will co-host with Ukraine the Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War. This ministerial conference will mobilize international action and strengthen cooperation to help Ukraine bring its people home and support their rehabilitation and reintegration. Canada and Norway will also work alongside partners to support the rehabilitation, reintegration, and economic participation of Ukrainian veterans, including exploring potential Norwegian participation in the new multi-donor initiative launched in Calgary on September 10.

Industrial and economic cooperation

Canadian and Norwegian companies continue to advance industrial cooperation, supporting security, sustainability and job creation. More than fifty Norwegian companies have established long-term footprints in Canada, strengthening security, creating jobs, and supporting resilient supply chains across strategic sectors.

This includes new partnerships between Canadian and Norwegian firms. Norway's Kongsberg, a contributor to the TKMS 212CD Combat Management System, has invested $76.5 million in a Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence with the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Kongsberg is also partnering with NAV Canada on the world's largest remote digital air traffic services project and has recently signed an MoU with OSI Maritime Systems to advance Canadian maritime capabilities.

As both maritime and Arctic nations, the partnership between VARD and its Canadian subsidiary, Vard Marine, demonstrates how Norwegian and Canadian industry can strengthen shared security and industrial cooperation in shipbuilding designed for Arctic environments. Vard Marine's portfolio of icebreakers and ice-capable vessels includes the world's most recent icebreaker delivery, as well as delivering the original vessel designs to the Royal Canadian Navy for the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships Program, and to the Canadian Coast Guard for one of the Polar Icebreakers.

Canada and Norway are also both leaders on energy. In a recent agreement with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Equinor is now advancing a significant offshore project in Canada Located approximately 500 kilometres offshore Newfoundland, the Bay du Nord development is a deepwater oil project that is expected to become one of Canada's most significant new offshore energy developments, reinforcing Newfoundland and Labrador's role as a key contributor to North American energy security.

Space

Canada and Norway are collaborating on space and other enabling capabilities that are critical to sovereignty and security and economic resilience, including in the North. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA) finalized the Memorandum of Understanding announced in March 2026. Under this partnership, the two agencies will advance collaboration on space-based and dual-use capabilities that support Arctic and northern needs, strengthen coordination and information sharing among government, research, and industry stakeholders, and leverage their shared membership in the European Space Agency to champion projects and opportunities of mutual interest.

Canada and Norway also continue to strengthen bilateral defence institutional relationships through the implementation of the Letter of Intent between Canada's Department of National Defence and the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence. Through ongoing collaboration on responsive space capabilities, both countries are working to improve interoperability between their satellite systems and demonstrate innovative capabilities using their combined space assets and expertise.

Canadian and Norwegian industries are also building business-to-business partnerships. On the margins of the leaders' visit, Kongsberg and MDA Space are signing a Memorandum of Understanding focused on multi-domain capabilities and space-based solutions for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnections (ISR), including maritime situational awareness in the Arctic. Kongsberg is also signing an agreement with Canada's Telesat to explore collaboration opportunities related to Telesat's Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network and associated capabilities, including integration of connectivity for IRS and other solutions.

Digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence cooperation

Canada and Norway continue to explore opportunities for enhanced cooperation on digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence (AI) that can help grow their capacity and reduce their dependencies.

As we enter this new age of accelerated technological change, it is increasingly important to ensure that AI is adopted and governed in ways that reflect our shared values.

Canada and Norway will explore cooperation to advance safe and trustworthy AI, including approaches to the testing, evaluation and responsible deployment of advanced AI systems, and will also explore avenues for cooperation on the use of AI in the public sector, including the exchange of experiences and best practices on the responsible adoption of AI to improve public services, increase efficiency and support better outcomes for citizens.

Critical minerals

Under the Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals announced in March 2026, Canada and Norway are now collaborating to build secure, resilient critical minerals value chains. Specifically, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Geological Survey of Norway have agreed to work together on joint critical minerals mapping and the exchange of geoscientific expertise. This is a fundamental step for future efforts to develop joint project pipelines and shared supply chains.

Climate, biodiversity, and oceans

Canada and Norway reaffirm their shared commitment to international climate and nature action, including the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In the Arctic, Canada and Norway are advancing efforts to address climate change by leveraging our leadership and technical expertise to reduce short-lived climate pollutants in support of the Global Methane Pledge and the Arctic Council Framework for Action on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Reductions. As Steering Committee members of the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership, Canada and Norway are working together to reduce tropical deforestation.

Canada and Norway will strengthen their collaboration on climate finance to developing countries, with the aim of avoiding or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada and Norway are working together to sustainably manage 100 per cent of the ocean under their national jurisdiction through Sustainable Ocean Plans. As members of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, we are championing the implementation of this approach globally and encouraging all coastal and ocean states to adopt it.

As members of the Ocean Eye International Alliance in support of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), co-chaired by Canada and the European Union, Canada and Norway recognize the critical role of sustained ocean observation in supporting weather forecasting, early warning systems, climate adaptation, ocean health, and a sustainable blue economy. We are committed to strengthening support for ocean observations and the infrastructure needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of GOOS.

As the host of the 12th Our Ocean Conference, in Halifax in 2027, Canada welcomes continued collaboration with Norway to deliver concrete, measurable global commitments for global ocean conservation and sustainable ocean management.

Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Støre agreed to remain in close contact to ensure that the close collaboration between Canada and Norway continues to advance the safety, security and sovereignty of our people, and to build prosperous and green economies of the future."

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office