NEW DELHI, June 22 — Canada is seeking to deepen its strategic and industrial defense partnership with India as part of a historic increase in Canadian military spending and a broader effort to strengthen bilateral ties, Canadian High Commissioner to India Chris Cooter said.
Speaking to ANI, Cooter outlined a vision for greater collaboration between Canadian and Indian defense industries, driven by Canada’s rapidly growing defense budget and India’s manufacturing capabilities.
“Actually, it’s a very small relationship. We do have some companies here that are in the aerospace area and some more in defense, but it’s really quite small. The defense industry in Canada is quite large. But I can tell you that we are on a trajectory that looks like a Canadian hockey stick,” Cooter said.
The envoy described Canada’s military spending growth as following a “hockey stick” trajectory. After recently surpassing NATO’s benchmark of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense, Canada is now aiming to increase that figure to 5%.
As the world’s ninth-largest economy, Canada’s commitment could translate into approximately $500 billion in additional defense spending by 2035.
“We have lots of advanced technology, but we don’t have the scale, we don’t have the market,” Cooter said.
He noted that while the current defense relationship between Canada and India remains limited, Canada’s planned investment surge creates significant opportunities for Indian and Canadian companies to collaborate, combining Canadian technological expertise with India’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities.
To support that objective, both countries are taking steps to establish a stronger framework for cooperation.
Cooter highlighted the importance of the General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA), which provides a secure framework for handling sensitive information and enables companies from both nations to pursue joint ventures with greater confidence.
Following a commitment made in March by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the two countries are also working to finalize plans for a high-level defense dialogue involving government and military officials.
The envoy pointed to growing industry interest in closer cooperation, citing strong participation at the recent Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CANSEC) conference.
Beyond defense and industrial collaboration, Cooter said the India-Canada relationship has entered a more stable and predictable phase, allowing both countries to focus on broader security challenges.
“This relationship is now more reliable and process-driven,” he said, adding that improved trust is enabling discussions that extend beyond bilateral issues.
Areas of potential cooperation include efforts to combat the global supply chain of chemical precursors used in the production of illicit fentanyl and coordinated action against international scam centers that target citizens in both countries.
“We’ve progressed now in that security dialogue to manage the bilateral irritants more effectively, but also to look beyond to see where we can cooperate on a regional or global basis,” Cooter said.
He added that he was encouraged by the pace of progress achieved in recent months and expressed optimism about the future of the bilateral partnership.
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