Minister Blair participates in Fifth North American Defence Ministerial meeting
News release
February 22, 2024 – Toronto, Ontario – National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, met virtually with U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, Mexico’s Secretary of Defence (SEDENA), General Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, and Mexico’s Secretary of the Navy (SEMAR), Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, for the fifth trilateral meeting of North American Defence Ministers (NADM).
During the meeting, Minister Blair and his counterparts discussed shared defence priorities between Canada, Mexico, and the United States and identified ways to further strengthen our defence relationship. Minister Blair indicated that Canada welcomes increased collaboration in areas including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Central American and Caribbean defence engagement, cyber defence, and peacekeeping.
Minister Blair and his counterparts reiterated the importance of our trilateral partnership to develop effective approaches to regional security and defence challenges – and Minister Blair affirmed Canada’s commitment to ongoing engagement to help keep our continent safe in a changing world.
Quotes
“Canada believes that the trilateral partnership between our country, the United States, and Mexico keeps our citizens safe and prosperous. As fellow democracies, I believe that collaboration between our countries to address shared defence challenges can help strengthen security in North America and around the world. Our nations face similar, complex security issues, and by working together to address them, we are ensuring the continued security of North America.”
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
Quick facts
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The first North American Defence Ministerial was held in Ottawa in March 2012, and hosted by Canada’s Department of National Defence.
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In April 2014, the second trilateral meeting was held in Mexico City.
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The third trilateral meeting was held in Washington, D.C. in May 2017.
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The fourth meeting was held virtually on May 19, 2021, hosted by Canada.
Contacts
Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: Diana.Ebadi@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
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