Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: New initiatives and resources

Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy offers a comprehensive framework for Government of Canada engagement in the region over the next decade. The first five years of the strategy include new initiatives and investments of almost $2.3 billion over five years, detailed below. In 2026-27, the Government of Canada will return with an update that will cover initiatives and resources for years 2027-2032.

Strategic objective 1: Promote peace, resilience and security

Project: Enhanced Defense Presence and Contribution

Funding: $492.9M over 5years
Description: Canada will reinforce its Indo-Pacific naval presence and increase Canadian Armed Forces participation in regional military exercises. The Department of National Defence will also strengthen its regional capacity-building program and launch a regional Women, Peace and Security initiative.

Project: Strengthened Public Safety and Security
Funding: $87.8M over 5years
Description: Canada will increase the capacity of its national security agencies to support Canadian interests and objectives in the Indo-Pacific. Canada’s national security community will expand its focus on the region and strengthen its engagement with close allies while developing relations with Indo-Pacific partners. 

Project: Security Partnerships and Capacity-Building
Funding: $92.6M over 5years
Description: Canada will boost existing capacity-building programs in order to strengthen regional responses to crime, terrorism and threats from weapons proliferation. In addition, Canada’s customs and law enforcement agencies will strengthen their cooperation and reinforce partnerships with regional counterparts and relevant institutions.

Project: Cybersecurity and Digital Technology Diplomacy
Funding: $47.4M over 5years
Description: Canada will launch a new multi-department initiative to develop Canada’s cyber diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. Canada will help develop cyber security capacity in select partner countries while increasing regional engagement on cyber issues and strengthening partnerships through the deployment of dedicated cyber attachés.

Strategic objective 2: Expand trade, investment and supply chain resilience

Project: The Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia
Funding: $24.1M over 5years
Description: Canada will establish the Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia to provide a modern, dynamic environment for Canadian business leaders to meet as a community, identify common interests, leverage strengths and promote greater economic cooperation and innovation in the region. The Gateway will expand Canada’s business and investment engagement and networks in the region. The Gateway will focus on sectors and solutions where Canadian innovation responds to regional demand, and will enhance Canada’s profile as a commercial and investment partner, creating opportunities for Canadian exporters and attracting foreign investment to Canada.

Project: Modern Team Canada 3.0 Trade Missions
Funding: $45.0M over 5years
Description: Canada will launch a new series of large Team Canada trade missions to the Indo-Pacific that involve Canadian businesses, and other relevant partners and organizations. Canada will showcase the capabilities and competitiveness of its exporters and innovators to ensure their success in the region, and facilitate long-term trade and investment opportunities. Canada will also support regionally-based Canadian Chambers of Commerce by strengthening their capacity and effectiveness, including as partners in the successful execution of trade missions.

Project: CanExport program enhancements to support Canadian exporting and investment attraction efforts in the Indo-Pacific
Funding: $37.7M over 5years
Description: Canada will expand the successful CanExport program to provide additional support to Canadian SMEs, innovators, associations and communities pursuing new trade and investment opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. With adjustments to CanExport assessment criteria and market eligibility to facilitate projects targeting new markets in the region, funding will be provided in the form of grants and contributions. CanExport will also continue to offer support, including a “concierge service,” to those traditionally underrepresented in trade such as Indigenous peoples and women-owned businesses.

Project: Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) component of Market Diversification
Funding: $31.8M over 5years
Description: To help Canadian farmers, producers and Canada’s agriculture sector increase and diversify their exports, and position Canada as a preferred supplier in this key emerging market, Canada will establish its first regional agriculture office. This new office will enable Canada to engage with stakeholders, regulatory counterparts, and policy decision-makers to deepen partnerships with Indo-Pacific economies that value sustained, meaningful relationships, collaboration and the sharing of expertise.

Project: Labour Program Technical Assistance to the Indo-Pacific for Trade and Labour Compliance
Funding: $25.00M over 5years
Description: Canada will provide greater technical assistance to Indo-Pacific trading partners to improve the enforcement of labour provisions, including on forced labour, in current and future free trade agreements with Canada. This will help protect workers’ rights, ensure human rights are better respected within supply chains, and will contribute to levelling the playing field for Canadian workers and employers. In doing so, Canada will advance more inclusive trade while supporting the modernization of labour policy and administration, economic growth and respect for workers’ rights, and quality working conditions in partner countries.

Project: Expanding Natural Resource Ties with the Indo-Pacific Region
Funding: $13.5M over 5years
Description: Canada will expand natural resource ties – related to trade, investment, and science, technology and innovation—with priority Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan. New expert personnel in the field and enhanced capacities in Canada will support expanded and diversified trade and investment in Canadian natural resources. It will increase Canada’s cooperation with these partners – including through activities linked to strategic resource exports –expanding Canada’s regional policy influence related to trade in natural resources and cleantech.

Project: Strengthening Canada’s Ability to Engage and Benefit from International Science, Technology and Innovation Partnerships
Funding: $65.1M over 5years
Description: Building on the success of the Canadian International Innovation Program, Canada will strengthen its Science, Technology and Innovation partnerships with key economies in the region to support international projects and commercialization-oriented research by funding more co-innovation and business-oriented R&D partnerships between Canadian SMEs and Indo-Pacific partners. Canada will seek to increase its existing co-innovation partnerships with South Korea and India and to begin new co-funded partnerships with Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. This will enable Canadian SMEs to develop new high tech products and services with leading foreign industrial players for commercialization in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.

Project: Framework for Enhanced Indo-Pacific Engagement in Standardization
Funding: $2.2M over 5years
Description: Canada will strengthen its network of national and regional standards and conformance ties by establishing new formalized relationships with individual Indo-Pacific National Standards and Accreditation Bodies, and increasing its engagement in the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). This new framework for engagement, led by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), will support strategic cooperation with key regional partners to develop and align standards in critical sectors. In doing so, SCC will help to reduce barriers to trade and expand market access for Canadian industry.

Project: Negotiate trade and investment agreements
Funding: NA
Description: Canada is negotiating a number of trade and investment agreements with key Indo-Pacific partners. This includes new trade agreements with India, ASEAN, and Indonesia, as well as the expansion of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) through the accession of new members. These agreements will strengthen our trade and investment relationships, uphold open, inclusive and rules-based trade, and set high standards for trade rules in the region.

Strategic objective 3: Invest in and connect people

Project: Bolstering Visa Processing
Funding: $74.6M over 5years
Description: Canada will enhance visa processing capacity within Canada’s centralized network, as well as abroad in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Islamabad, and Manila. These new processing resources will support ongoing Canadian efforts to accommodate the high volume of temporary resident visa applications (visa, study permit, and work permit) from the Indo-Pacific, contribute to improved processing times, and support people-to-people ties.

Project: Supporting diversified student recruitment, increased facilitation and engagement, and related business intelligence activities in the Indo-Pacific region (funded through the Bolstering Visa Processing initiative)
Funding: NA
Description: Canada will support market diversification efforts within the Indo-Pacific, improve the selection and retention of students with the strongest potential. The government will strengthen Canada’s international student program with permanent residence and job opportunities for students from the Indo-Pacific that could lead to staying in Canada to contribute to Canada’s future; these investments will attract highly skilled workers to Canada to meet the needs of our economy today and into the future.

Project: Expanded SEED Scholarship
Funding: $14.2M over 5years
Description: The Indo-Pacific region is home to most of Canada’s international students. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy will expand the successful Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) program. The enhanced program will allow Canada to reach developing Indo-Pacific countries; to encourage valuable exchanges and the sharing of expertise; and to introduce more education and research in shared areas of interest.

Project: Indo-Pacific Engagement Initiative
Funding: $40.1M over 5years
Description: Canada will provide new and greater support for Canadian civil society and Government of Canada engagement in the Indo-Pacific. As a multi-component initiative, IPEI will also provide Canadian students and researchers with new research and study opportunities in and on the region, while strengthening regional expertise in Canada’s public service through professional development and training. It will also support a broad range of Canadian sector leaders, subject-matter experts, academics and civil society groups in building new networks in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen the Canadian voice on priority issues and create partnerships on behalf of Canada.

Project: Feminist International Assistance Responsive Bilateral Programming
Funding: $100.0M over 5 years
Description: Canada is committed to being a visible, long-lasting partner in the Indo-Pacific. Canada’s international assistance will respond to the needs of the region, and will increase engagement. Canada will be a key partner in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by championing economic growth that works for everyone, advocating for a sustainable environment, and strengthening inclusive governance.

Project: Feminist International Assistance Canadian Civil Society Call for Proposals
Funding: $32.8M over 5 years
Description: Civil society organizations (CSOs) are key to a free and open Indo-Pacific that benefits everyone. By launching a Call for Proposals to work with Canadian CSOs, Canada will support Canadian CSOs’ efforts to strengthen civil society, protect human rights, and advance gender equality projects in the region. Strong partnerships between CSOs in both the Indo-Pacific region and Canada will lead to a more secure, prosperous region for all.

Project: Support Canada’s Tourism Growth
Funding: NA
Description: Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy will align with Canada’s new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy. A key to the long-term growth of Canada’s tourism sector will be increasing high-value tourism from priority markets, including those in the Indo-Pacific Region. Moreover, tourism can enhance people-to-people ties between countries, and serve as a catalyst for “beyond tourism” benefits, such as trade, FDI and talent attraction.

Strategic Priority 4: Building a sustainable and green future

Project: Infrastructure Support
Funding: $750M over 3 years
Description: Enhance the capacity of FinDev Canada to expand its operations into the Indo-Pacific and accelerate its work in priority markets in order to support high-quality, sustainable infrastructure. Canada’s commitment to the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment will be done in an approach that looks to amplify, leverage and collaborate with Canadian private sector and institutions, like pension funds should they chose to, on needed small to medium infrastructure projects across the region. This will support high-quality, sustainable infrastructure, and also provides alternative options to developing economies exploring infrastructure development.

Project: Shared Ocean Fund
Funding: $84.3M over 5years
Description: A new Shared Ocean Fund will help support ocean management, reinforce a healthy marine environment in the Indo-Pacific region through Canadian government support for a range of enhanced measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Project: Disaster Risk and Resilience Support
Funding: $52.4M over 5years
Description: The Indo-Pacific is the region most vulnerable to disasters in the world. Canada will draw from lessons learned from its own experience with disaster response to support Indo-Pacific countries’ national climate adaptation strategies. When disaster strikes, Canada will show up to help reduce the number of disaster-affected people, damages to important infrastructure, and direct economic losses.

Project: Advancing International Clean Technology Demonstration in the Indo-Pacific
Funding: $16.0M over 5years
Description: The Indo-Pacific’s priorities of strong, inclusive, sustainable and clean growth present commercial opportunities for Canadian clean technology SMEs, however there are many challenges to the successful integration of Canadian companies in the cleantech sector regionally and in related global supply chains. Through this initiative, Canada will facilitate the scale-up of Canadian SMEs and the adoption of Canadian cleantech in the Indo-Pacific by supporting commercial demonstrations in priority Indo-Pacific markets. This will include enhanced efforts to match Canadian capabilities and technologies with regional demand in this dynamic sector.

Strategic priority 5: Canada as an active and engaged partner to the Indo-Pacific

Project: Indo-Pacific Regional Capacity Uplift (RCU)
Funding: $100M over 5years
Description: Canada will create new positions to significantly expand capacities at Canada’s missions abroad and in Canada with the goal of advancing and defending Canadian interests in the Indo-Pacific. These new positions will include capacity covering diplomacy, international security, trade and economic, international development and climate change issues. This uplift will ensure Canada has the capacity to coordinate sustained engagement; seize emerging opportunities; and quickly and efficiently respond to regional developments and challenges.

Project: Enhancing Partnerships (ASEAN) – Canada-ASEAN Plan of Action Trust Fund
Funding: $13.1M over 5years
Description: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is central to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Canada will boost its cooperation with ASEAN through a contribution to the ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action Trust Fund. This contribution ensures strong regional engagement with ASEAN; advances important trade negotiations; and strengthens our partnership. A part of the fund will support the participation of ASEAN Member States to participate in Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

Project: Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada
Funding: $24.5M over 5years
Description: The Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC) will establish a physical presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Reflecting Canada’s long-term commitment to engage and collaborate with partners in the region, this new APFC office will help build and strengthen relations with local partners, including in the areas of foreign policy, cultural diplomacy and academic ties. It will offer a convening working space for Canadians and local partners engaged in APFC-supported programs as well as other government departments engaging in the region.