International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Canada
PUBLIC and MEDIA STATEMENT | November 3, 2025
References:
Luthfi Mawarid-Chairperson
Jess Agustin-Lead, Campaign Committee
[email protected]/[email protected]
Canada Signs Military Agreement. Accountability Starts Now!
On November 2, 2025, the Canadian government signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with the Philippines, a move that ties the country’s reputation to a military establishment long accused of massive corruption and widespread, systemic human rights abuses, including red-tagging, and extra-judicial killings.
In our open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, ICHRP–Canada warned that this deal would undermine Canada’s human-rights commitments and entangle our troops in operations marked by impunity. The government chose to proceed. We will now hold it to its own promise that this partnership is about peace and stability. Every rights violation committed under this pact, every displaced family, every silenced journalist will now also bear Canada’s imprint.
This agreement is not isolated. It forms part of a growing web of foreign military pacts in the Indo-Pacific region that deepen militarization and risk drawing Canada into conflicts beyond our control. By mirroring U.S. security priorities, this deal compromises Canada’s independent voice in promoting peace and human rights in Asia.
In the Philippines, the SOVFA bypasses the Senate, raising serious questions about sovereignty, constitutional compliance, and democratic oversight. It further entrenches a system where decisions about foreign troops and military presence are made without the consent of the people most affected. Along with the Visiting Forces Agreements (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States and Australia, the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan and an upcoming agreement with France, Canada’s SOVFA entangles the Philippines in dangerous geopolitical conflicts by serving as their staging ground. SOVFA does not serve the interest of the Filipino people whose safety are put at risk.
At the same time, the agreement contradicts Canada’s own Voices at Risk guidelines, Feminist International Assistance Policy, and Magnitsky Law, which commit our government to protect defenders, uphold gender equality, transparency in governance and holding abusers accountable. Arming human rights violators and supporting corrupt regimes erode Canada’s commitment to these principles.
Under Canada’s own Policy on Tabling of Treaties in Parliament, every new agreement must be presented in the House of Commons for 21 sitting days before ratification. It remains unclear whether this process has begun or if the government intends to bypass it. This uncertainty raises serious questions about transparency and democratic oversight. Canadians have a right to see the full text of the pact, understand what is being signed in their name, and ensure Parliament has a genuine opportunity to debate its implications before it takes effect.
This is a time to stay alert. We invite churches, unions, community groups, and Filipino Canadians to raise their voices and ask for the same transparency and accountability that Canada expects from others.
SOVFA will not make Canadians or Filipinos safer. It will deepen militarization, expose Canada to the consequences of corruption in security programs, and link our country to a government that has yet to show credible progress on human rights.
We urge Parliament to review and, if necessary, suspend or reject the agreement until its human-rights, corruption, and governance implications are fully assessed through an open, public process.
Canada cannot claim to defend freedom and democracy abroad while cooperating with a repressive military establishment and supporting an unaccountable government. ###
International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Canada