Canada and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Overview of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington on April 4, 1949, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This political and military alliance was formed to promote the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area and to safeguard the freedom of its peoples, based on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. The Alliance is the embodiment of the transatlantic link that binds North American and European security. The Alliance’s latest Strategic Concept sets out three core tasks: collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security.

Canada in NATO

Canada was a founding member of the Alliance. NATO is a cornerstone of Canadian security and defence policy and an important platform for Canada’s contributions to international peace and security.

Canada’s priority for NATO is to ensure the Alliance remains modern, flexible, agile and able to face current and future threats. This goal drives all of Canada’s efforts on NATO transformation, reform and partnerships with non-NATO countries. Canada also plays an active role in NATO deterrence by leading NATO’s Multinational Battlegroup Latviaas Framework Nation.

NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence

Climate change is a defining challenge for Canada, NATO Allies, and global partners. The increasing interaction between climate change and traditional security risks pose direct and indirect threats to our national security and resilience. Through policies such as Strong, Secure, Engaged, Our North, Strong and Free, the Defence Climate and Sustainability Strategy, and the Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability Science and Technology Strategy, Canada integrates climate change as a core element of its national security.

Canada is the host and Framework Nation of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). It is jointly led by Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. The CCASCOE was officially accredited as a NATO Centre of Excellence in Spring 2024. The Centre acts as a capacity multiplier, providing a unique platform for military and civilian actors to develop, enhance and share knowledge on climate security impacts.

NATO and Ukraine

Since 2022, NATO Allies have provided unprecedented levels of support to Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty, democracy, and territorial integrity against full-scale Russian aggression. While not engaged militarily in the conflict, the Alliance is supporting Ukraine through a number of practical initiatives, such as:

• The Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund, which is designed to support Ukraine's ability to provide for its own security through immediate, short-term, and non-lethal military assistance;
• The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), established at the 2024 Washington Summit, which coordinates the provision, transfer and repair of military equipment critical to Ukraine’s operations, as well as training in Allied countries to bolster Ukraine’s military effectiveness;
• At the 2024 Washington Summit, NATO members announced the Pledge of Long-Term Security Assistance for Ukraine, committing to provide €40billion in military assistance to Ukraine over the year;
• Launched at the 2023 Vilnius Summit, the NATO-Ukraine Council provides a forum for consultation between Allies and Ukraine on security issues of common concern, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; and,
• At the 2023 Vilnius Summit, Allies agreed to waive Ukraine’s need for a Membership Action Plan, and instead to measure its progress on reforms required to meet Alliance standards via an adapted Annual National Program.

Allies support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements. At the 2024 Washington Summit, Allies reaffirmed that Ukraine’s future is in NATO and that they will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration.

NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA)

Canada is hosting the North American Regional Office of NATO’s DIANA in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The office officially opened operations in 2024. NATO’s DIANA was created to help develop dual-use technologies that address challenges affecting security and defence. DIANA aims to bring together the best and brightest innovators from key sectors across the Alliance to help NATO maintain its technological edge, defend its one billion citizens, and preserve peace and security.

NATO operations

The Canadian Armed Forces are among the most engaged, agile, deployable and responsive armed forces within NATO, and Canada is proud to have contributed to nearly every NATO operation since the founding of the Alliance more than seven decades ago. Canada's participation in NATO operations around the world exemplifies our commitment to the Alliance.

NATO is an active and leading contributor to peace and security on the international stage. It promotes democratic values and is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. However, if diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military capacity needed to undertake crisis-management operations, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organizations.

Currently, NATO has operations in Europe, including in Kosovo and along the Alliance’s eastern flank. Outside the Euro-Atlantic, NATO operations include NATO Mission Iraq and cooperation with the African Union.

Partnerships and enlargement

To be an effective political-military Alliance, fit to deal with the challenges of the 21st Century, NATO pursues cooperation with other nations and entities through cooperative partnerships.

NATO’s partnerships

• Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
• Partnership for Peace (PfP)
• NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC)
• NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC)
• NATO Mediterranean Dialogue
• Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI)
• Relations with partners across the globe

Enlargement

Over the past 75 years, NATO has grown from 12 to 32 members.  These countries have taken the sovereign decision to request NATO membership, to which all Allies agreed. Finland and Sweden are the most recent countries to join the Alliance, in April 2023 and March 2024 respectively, having applied for NATO membership following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Canada was the first country to ratify the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. 

Under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO’s door remains open to any European country in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Three countries currently seek to join NATO: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership on May 18, 2022. NATO Ambassadors signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden on July 5, 2022, and on the same day, Canada became the first country to ratify them. Finland and Sweden passed all the necessary steps in the Accession Protocol, becoming the Alliance’s 31^st and 32^nd members.

Canada strongly supports NATO’s “open-door policy” and looks forward to fulfilling the commitments made to aspirant countries, as well as to welcoming new members into the Alliance.

Joint Delegation of Canada to NATO

The Joint Delegation of Canada to NATO, located at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is headed by Ambassador Heidi Hulan, the Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council, NATO's highest decision-making body. Canada's Military Representative, Vice Admiral Scott Bishop, represents Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff on the Military Committee, the Alliance's highest military decision-making body, which reports to the North Atlantic Council.

The Joint Delegation consists of a political section, a military section and a defence-support section. The Delegation represents Canada at the North Atlantic Council and other decision-making bodies of the Alliance, and reports to the Government of Canada on all NATO-related issues. It works to maintain and develop cooperative transatlantic relations and actively contributes to the implementation of Canada’s foreign policy on security and defence matters.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council

Heidi Hulan has been Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council (NATO) since 2024.

Heidi Hulan joined Global Affairs Canada in 1996. Previously, she served as Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security (Political Director). In 2020-2021 she served as Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors. At Headquarters, Ms. Hulan has held a variety of posts including: Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy; Director General, International Security Policy; Director General, Non-Proliferation and Security Threat Reduction. Overseas, she has served as Minister Counsellor and Head of Political Section at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (2005 to 2009) and Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to NATO (2010 to 2013). In 2017 to 2021 she was Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Slovakia where she served as Chair of the United Nations Expert Preparatory Group on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, as well as the Chair of the International Contact Group on Nuclear Security. She is a past recipient of both the Minister’s Citation for Foreign Policy Excellence and the Deputy Minister’s Award of Excellence.

Canadian military representative to the NATO Military Committee

Lieutenant-General Greg Smith is an Infantry Officer born in Oshawa, Ontario. He has served in each of the battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment. Throughout his career he has been fortunate to command and serve in diverse positions including the Infantry (Mechanized, Parachute, and Director Royal Canadian Infantry Corps), Canadian Special Operations Forces (Canadian Special Operations Regiment), teaching institutions (Infantry School and Canadian Army Command and Staff College), NATO (Canada’s National Military Representative/Commander Formation Europe and Assistant Chief of Staff J5 at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium), Intelligence (Canadian Forces Intelligence Command as Director General Intelligence Enterprise), and Policy (Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy) Director General International Security Policy).

Lieutenant-General Smith's other staff appointments include serving at the Army Headquarters, the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and the Defence Renewal Team. His operational deployments include UNPROFOR in Croatia in 1994 to 1995 as platoon commander, a deployment to Kabul in 2003 to 2004 as Battalion Group Operations Officer, to Kandahar in 2009 to 2010 as Special Operation Task Force Commander, to Kabul in 2012 as Deputy Training Mission Commander, and to Baghdad, Iraq in 2016 as Chief of Staff of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command - Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.

He is a graduate of the Transitional Command and Staff Course at the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the Joint Command and Staff Programme at the Canadian Forces College (CFC) Toronto, the National Security Programme at CFC Toronto. He is a Fellow of the U.S. National Defence University Capstone Course, the NATO Defence College General Officer Flag Officer Ambassador Course, and the Daniel K. Inoye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Transnational Security Cooperation Course. Lieutenant-General Smith possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Military and Strategic Studies (Honours) from Collège militaire royal de St-Jean and three Masters of Arts in War Studies, Defence Studies, and Public Administration through the Royal Military College of Canada and the University of New Brunswick. He has been a Visiting Defence Fellow at the Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy in Kingston, Ontario.

He is married and they have two adult children.