As the world faces a series of challenges like conflict, the impacts of climate change, food and energy insecurity, and threats to democracy and human rights, like-minded partners and allies have to come together to address these issues and continue making life better for people.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that he will travel to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, to join Nordic Prime Ministers at their annual meeting from June 25 to 26, 2023, as a special guest. This visit will help to enhance Canada’s collaboration with Nordic countries and advance collective efforts to address some of the most pressing global challenges and build a better world for everyone.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister will continue to advance action on key priorities, based on our shared values and interests, like protecting the environment, building economies that benefit everyone, creating good middle-class jobs, and making life better and more affordable for people. He will highlight the importance of developing clean and reliable energy, strengthening trade ties between our countries to create opportunities for our people and businesses alike, addressing security challenges in Europe and the Arctic, and strengthening multilateralism.

The leaders will address these global issues in the lead up to the NATO Leaders’ Summit next month in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Allies will discuss continued efforts to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal invasion, as well as ways to maintain peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond.

Quote

“Canada and its Nordic partners have a long-standing history of close cooperation and strong shared values. As we face a series of global crises, we need to come together, and work together. I look forward to meeting with my Nordic counterparts to keep strengthening our relationship and building a better future for people on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Quick Facts

• The members of the Nordic Council are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.
• The prime ministers of all five Nordic countries will attend the meeting along with representatives of the devolved governments of the Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers will also participate.
• Iceland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2023.
• The Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision is to make the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.
• Canada has longstanding ties and shared values with all the Nordic countries. Over 1.2 million Canadians identified as being of Nordic descent in the 2016 census.
• All the Nordic countries are members of NATO with the exception of Sweden, for which the accession process is ongoing.
• Combined, the Nordic countries are the world’s 12th largest economy ($2.42 trillion GDP) and 7th most affluent.
• Merchandise trade between Canada and the Nordic countries was $13.6 billion in 2022. Total trade, including services, was $17.3 billion.
• This visit builds upon the State Visit by His Excellency Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, to Canada in May 2023, and the visit of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, to Iceland in 2022.

Associated Links

• Canada-Iceland relations
• Readout PM Trudeau and President of Iceland
• State Visit of the President of Iceland
• Canada’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine