{"id":319142,"date":"2026-04-15T19:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=319142"},"modified":"2026-04-15T19:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:44:18","slug":"5-things-canada-and-finland-have-in-common-as-nato-allys-leader-visits-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/15\/5-things-canada-and-finland-have-in-common-as-nato-allys-leader-visits-national\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things Canada and Finland have in common as NATO ally\u2019s leader visits – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Finland\u2019s President Alexander Stubb is in Ottawa this week.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday he made stops at Rideau Hall and a hockey rink before his first official meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. On Wednesday he’s holding public conversations on defence, Arctic security and industrial partnerships, including one with Industry Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly.<\/p>\n

On the meeting within the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, Stubb said he and Carney share values and interests and that in some ways he considers\u00a0Canada\u00a0an honorary member of the European Union and the Nordic nations.<\/p>\n

Listed here are five things\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0Finland\u00a0have in common:<\/p>\n

Each countries are Arctic nations. Nearly one-third of Finland\u2019s land mass is above the Arctic Circle, while nearly 40 per cent of Canada\u2019s land mass is within the three northern territories.<\/p>\n

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In a joint statement last yr, the countries said they were committed to pursuing a \u201cpeaceful, prosperous and stable\u201d Arctic through ventures just like the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, a pact with the U.S. to provide polar icebreakers.<\/p>\n

The statement also said\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0Finland\u00a0are committed to advancing the rights and well-being of Indigenous Peoples and northern communities.<\/p>\n

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Finland\u00a0joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 2023 in response to rising alarm in regards to the threat posed by Russia following Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0Canada\u00a0was the primary country to ratify its request.<\/p>\n

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NATO\u2019s annual report, released in March, shows Carney\u2019s government met the alliance\u2019s key defence spending benchmark for 2025 by shelling out just over $63 billion. For the primary time because the end of the Cold War,\u00a0Canada\u00a0is spending roughly two per cent of its GDP on national defence.<\/p>\n

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The NATO report said\u00a0Finland\u00a0spent 2.87 per cent of its GDP on national defence in 2025, equal to greater than US$9 billion.<\/p>\n

In last yr\u2019s joint statement,\u00a0Finland\u00a0and\u00a0Canada\u00a0said they were committed to making sure Arctic and Northern perspectives are considered in NATO activities.<\/p>\n

The Government of\u00a0Canada\u00a0website says merchandise trade between\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0Finland\u00a0was valued at $2.4 billion in 2025. It says\u00a0Canada\u00a0exported $621.2 million and imported $1.8 billion in goods.<\/p>\n

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It says Canada\u2019s industrial relationship with\u00a0Finland\u00a0revolves around science, technology and innovation partnerships and investments.<\/p>\n

The federal government says Canadian mining corporations even have a robust presence in northern\u00a0Finland\u00a0and Canadian firms are amongst the biggest private sector employers in Lapland.<\/p>\n

Two-way trade between\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0Finland\u00a0has increased 33.5 per cent since 2017, the web site says.<\/p>\n

The governments of\u00a0Canada\u00a0and Nordic countries \u2014 Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and\u00a0Finland\u00a0\u2014 agreed last month in Oslo to proceed work to defend Arctic sovereignty and to deepen economic ties against other countries\u2019 efforts to make use of technology and trade as a \u201ccoercive tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

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