Wednesday April 15, 2026 | OTTAWA, ON
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The first visit of a Finnish president in 12 years happened yesterday in Ottawa as Prime Minister Mark Carney met with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb.
The 49-hour visit takes place following last month’s Canada-Nordic Summit in Oslo, Norway, Prime Minister Carney and President Stubb discussed the importance of like-minded countries working together to ensure shared security and economic prosperity.
The cooperative focus is part of building Arctic strengths and protecting the sovereignty of Arctic nations.
In a quick statement by President Stubb during a photo op in Carney’s office, Stubb said that Finland and Canada share policy but also values and interests and that sometimes together they project powers.
“Together we are much stronger,” said Stubb.
The Finnish business delegation is 40-strong (the largest ever, said Stubb), including the maritime cluster (shipping and icebreakers), technology – networks and quantum (both hardware/software), mining, and the defence industry.
“There is so much synergy that we can have,” said Stubb. Carney also highlighted “maritime security, AI, quantum computing … and protecting the Arctic together”.
Finland considers Canada as “an honorary member of the bigger European Union and the Nordics as well”, Stubb said.
In that respect, the Canada-Finland discussions between Carney and Stubb will include issues of “Russia and Ukraine and probably the Middle East”, said Stubb.
- As the first pillar of cooperation, Canada and Finland will strengthen collaboration on Arctic science, research, and maritime security. To this end, Canada and Finland welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation in maritime capabilities and industrial partnerships.
- Second, Prime Minister Carney and President Stubb committed to increased cooperation on advanced technologies to deliver shared economic benefits, grow capacity, and reduce dependencies in an increasingly contested digital landscape. As part of this effort, Canada and Finland signed a joint statement to strengthen cooperation on sovereign technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Canada and Finland will collaborate on research and innovation in high-performance computing and AI, enabling AI adoption across industry and government, and identifying investment opportunities that scale up small and medium-sized enterprises.
- The leaders welcomed the signing of a MOU between Export Development Canada and Nokia to support Nokia’s efforts to build AI gigafactories. Canada and Finland will also expand collaboration across quantum research, innovation, commercialisation, and workforce development – including through a Canadian quantum trade mission to Finland. The leaders committed to strengthening linkages across the broader Canadian-Finnish quantum ecosystem, including among universities, research institutions, startups, and established technology firms. The leaders also underscored enhanced cooperation on resource development, including critical minerals, to support the global energy transition.
- Finally, as NATO Allies and close partners, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to investing 5% of GDP in defence and security by 2035. Canada and Finland announced the launch of negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement between our countries to strengthen intelligence-sharing, deepen defence cooperation, and open opportunities for our industries. Prime Minister Carney emphasised the opportunities to deepen Canada’s commercial ties with Finland, including by leveraging the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
The leaders issued a joint statement (see full text below this article).
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NEWS SECTIONS: ARCTIC & THE NORTH | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | MILITARY & DEFENCE
Here is the full joint statement:
Joint statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb
April 14, 2026
“At a time of global transformation, marked by strategic competition and an emerging international order, Canada and Finland share a common conviction: we must pursue both strategic autonomy and strategic cooperation to safeguard shared security and prosperity in an uncertain world. Our approach is one of values-based realism, upholding universal values, respecting diversity, and recognising that global challenges must be addressed through broad-based cooperation that transcends traditional partnerships. In this spirit, we are investing in our people, our economies, and our security, while building coalitions grounded in shared values and interests. As trusted partners, Allies, and friends, we met in Ottawa on April 14, 2026, to advance a forward-looking agenda for the next phase of Canada-Finland relations, focused on cooperation in the Arctic and maritime domains, defence, security and resilience, and cutting-edge technology.
Strengthening arctic and maritime cooperation
As Arctic nations, we will advance shared priorities through stronger Arctic research, education, including indigenous-led education, and knowledge exchange, and closer cooperation on Arctic security, maritime safety, and polar capabilities. We will draw on our circumpolar expertise to pursue a joint research program between higher education institutions and research institutes and infrastructure. Building on existing close cooperation in shipbuilding, ice-capable vessels and technologies, climate action and Arctic infrastructure, we will strengthen our collective capabilities in support of sustainable Arctic development, Allied security, and safe, responsible navigation in northern waters.
In this context, we welcome the signing of the Canada–Finland Maritime Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes a framework for closer cooperation on maritime and ice capabilities. This includes collaboration on icebreaker development, the broader maritime industrial ecosystem, including SMEs supporting shipbuilding, and joint work under the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact). The MoU is intended to deepen ties between Canadian and Finnish industry and research institutions while advancing innovation in shipbuilding, ports, and marine technologies.
Deepening defence, security, and resilience cooperation
As NATO Allies, Canada and Finland reaffirm our shared commitment to the rules-based international order and to our collective security. We will deepen defence and security cooperation through information sharing, training, and interoperability. We are launching negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement between Canada and Finland that will strengthen information-sharing, deepen defence cooperation, and open opportunities for our industries. We will continue to find opportunities to train together both in Finland and in Canada in exercises like Cold Response and Operation Nanook. We will remain unfaltering in our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s war of aggression. Ukraine’s security is integral to European and Euro-Atlantic Security.
We will work together to realise our commitment to invest 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in our defence and security by 2035. We recognise that this will require building out our defence industrial bases. For this reason, together, we will explore various financial instruments to mobilise the necessary capital to drive defence production in allied and partner countries. We will broaden our cooperation to counter hybrid threats, strengthen whole-of-society resilience, and enhance preparedness in the Arctic and beyond. This includes close cooperation and leadership through the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki.
Cutting edge technology and strategic sector cooperation
We welcome the Canada-Finland Joint Statement on Sovereign Technology and AI Cooperation, which aims to expand cooperation on advanced technologies in a way that delivers shared economic benefits. We will deepen coordination to strengthen sovereign technology, helping to grow capacity and reduce dependenciesin an increasingly contested digital landscape. This includes exploring Finland’s participation in the Sovereign Technology Alliance.
We will collaborate on research and innovation in high performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI), including by enabling AI adoption across industry and governments and identifying investment opportunities that scale up small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). We will also continue to cooperate on research and development in network communication technologies that will underpin sovereign AI infrastructure. This includes promoting growth opportunities to our telecommunications industries through multilateral initiatives such as the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT). AI gigafactories will harness massive computing power to develop, train and deploy advanced AI models and applications. In this context, we welcome the longstanding cooperation between Export Development Canada and Nokia and note the MOU signed this week to support Nokia’s efforts to build AI Gigafactories.
We are exploring cooperation opportunities in high-performance computing, AI, data services, and related initiatives jointly through the CSC – IT Center for Science in Finland and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. This will allow collaboration in application domains such as health data, earth sciences and arctic research.
Recognising the growing strategic importance of quantum technologies, we will explore ways to advance shared objectives across quantum research, innovation, commercialisation, and workforce development, including through a Canadian quantum trade mission to Finland. Taking note of our wider international commitments, we will strengthen linkages across the broader Canadian–Finnish quantum ecosystem, including among universities, research institutions, startups, and established technology firms, in a way that delivers mutual economic benefit.
Critical minerals will fuel technologies of the future and our economies. Given the parallels between Canada and Finland’s geological landscape, we will strengthen joint development and application of geoscience research between our national geological surveys on critical minerals, Arctic and broader geoscience research, in accordance with the existing Canada-European Union (EU) Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials. This will include enhanced technical exchange on methodologies and datasets to secure critical minerals supply chains and complement broader Canada-EU cooperation.
We will work together to expand bilateral trade and investment, including by leveraging the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), to strengthen industry-to-industry partnerships and to develop trusted and resilient supply chains that underpin long-term growth and competitive green economies. The inclusion of a large business delegation of Finnish chief executive officers from across maritime, mining, defence and aerospace, and advanced connectivity sectors – space, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies – creates new opportunities for workers and businesses in both our countries.
Building on the Canada and Finland joint statement on foreign and security policy strategic partnership of August 19, 2025, our Foreign Ministers have developed an action plan to step up economic, security, Arctic and multilateral collaboration.
Our cooperation reflects the shared conviction that we are stronger when our societies are resilient, inclusive and prepared for the future; when our economies are diversified and innovation-driven; and when our alliances are rooted in respect and trust.”