Canada sees Europe as an increasingly important defence partner and wants to deepen cooperation with its European allies, including Poland. Catherine Godin, Canada’s ambassador to Poland, says Ottawa is taking its NATO responsibilities seriously, both in terms of defence spending and practical military engagement.
According to Godin, Canada is involved in joint projects with other NATO members, including Latvia, where it serves as a framework nation, as well as Poland and the United Kingdom. A key area of cooperation is the strengthening of ties between defence industries.
“Within NATO, we are focused on ensuring funding and concrete engagement. In 1999, Canada was the first country to ratify the document on Poland’s accession to NATO. We have reached defence spending of 2% of GDP and are on track to meet the 5% target. Of course, we are not as good as Poland, but we have made a funding commitment,” Catherine Godin told Newseria.
Canada reached NATO’s defence spending target of 2% of GDP in the 2025–2026 fiscal year. By 2035, this level is expected to rise to 5% of GDP. Ottawa is investing more than CAD 63 billion in defence through the budgets of the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces and other government agencies.
Canada’s Role on NATO’s Eastern Flank
Canada’s engagement is not limited to financial commitments. The country serves as the framework nation in Latvia, where it maintains a brigade as part of NATO’s eastern flank presence.
“We are engaged in concrete action. We are a framework nation in Latvia and maintain a brigade there. We have worked effectively with Poland and the United Kingdom under Operation Unifier, providing support and training to 47,000 Ukrainian soldiers. In the NATO context, we therefore have many tasks to carry out,” Godin said.
A framework nation is responsible for forming, commanding and providing logistical support to multinational battle groups or command structures within NATO forces stationed in another country.
Operation Unifier, a Canadian Armed Forces training mission, began in 2015 at the request of the Ukrainian government after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the mission was modified and has recently been extended until 2029. Training includes basic and advanced military skills, including tactical medical training, engineering and leadership capabilities.
Canada is also part of NATO’s innovation network. Halifax hosts the North American office of NATO DIANA, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, which supports research into military and dual-use technologies.
Canada Joins Europe’s SAFE Defence Programme
Godin emphasized that transatlantic cooperation is becoming an increasingly important part of Canada’s defence policy.
“We want to show that we take this issue very seriously. For us, transatlantic cooperation means cooperation between Canada and Europe. We feel that these relations are developing very well,” she said. “Europe is an important partner for us. Canada was the first non-European country to join the SAFE programme.”
In February 2026, Canada and the European Union signed an agreement giving Canadian companies preferential access to defence procurement financed through the SAFE instrument. In return, the Canadian government will provide financial support for Ukraine’s defence industry, proportional to the value obtained by Canadian companies from contracts backed by SAFE funding.
Canada has also been strengthening its political dialogue with Europe. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently attended the European Political Community meeting in Yerevan. According to Godin, Canada was the first and only non-European country to take part in the event.
During the EPC summit, Carney held bilateral meetings with leaders from Armenia, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament. He presented Canada as an attractive destination for global investment in areas such as critical minerals, energy, defence and advanced technologies. He also announced around CAD 270 million for key military capabilities based on NATO’s priority requirements for Ukraine.
Defence Industry Cooperation with Poland
Industrial cooperation is becoming one of the most visible areas of Canada-Europe defence relations. Godin pointed to defence fairs as an example of growing cooperation between Canadian and European companies.
“The cooperation between the defence industries of Canada and European countries is currently very active. Canada organizes military fairs every year. This year, Poland is in the spotlight. Poland also organizes an extremely important fair in Central and Eastern Europe, MSPO in Kielce. This year, Canada will be the lead country. That is a significant signal,” Godin said.
The International Defence Industry Exhibition, MSPO, will take place in Kielce on 8–11 September 2026. As the lead country, Canada will present the achievements of its defence and security industry, including satellite technologies, soldier equipment, simulation systems, training solutions and critical infrastructure protection.
Godin added that Canadian companies are already strongly present in Poland. One example is CAE, which employs around 300 people in the country and is part of Poland’s Aviation Valley ecosystem.
“This shows how much we care about our cooperation. We are linked by a strategic partnership covering defence, and in the industrial dimension we are strengthening and expanding our agreements,” the ambassador said. “Canadian companies are already strongly present here, for example CAE employs 300 people here. We are an integral part of Aviation Valley. There is significant room for development in the defence sector, and we look forward to continuing it.”
