HALIFAX, NS, March 26, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, participated as a special invitee in a virtual meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), hosted by the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, alongside leaders from Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as a representative from Denmark.

The leaders discussed the evolving security environment in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic, and reiterated their commitment to preserving security and stability in the Arctic and Northern Europe. The Prime Minister reinforced the Arctic's importance to Canadian security and underscored his recent visit to Norway to bolster Canadian and Allied military readiness. The Prime Minister noted that Canada is now investing 2% of its GDP in defence, including recently announced investments to bolster Canada's Arctic, deter emerging threats, and support NATO Allies and continental defence. He underscored Canada's recent investments of more than $35 billion to defend, build, and transform Canada's North and Arctic region.

The Prime Minister welcomed the JEF's role as a flexible, high-readiness framework that strengthens deterrence and contributes to the security of Northern Europe and the Baltic region. He emphasised the importance of close cooperation among like-minded partners to address shared threats, counter hybrid activities, and reinforce collective defence. The Prime Minister noted Canada's participation in the fall 2025 JEF Exercise TARASSIS in Latvia, which sought to strengthen Baltic defence and responsiveness of the JEF.

The leaders discussed opportunities for JEF collaboration, including with Canada and in alignment with NATO, to enhance military capabilities through joint exercises. The Prime Minister highlighted Canada's enduring partnership with JEF nations and looked forward to continued engagement with JEF members.

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

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office