Canada to quickly ratify membership of Finland, Sweden in Nato: Melanie Joly

Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly said while the process does not require parliamentary approval and the executive branch has ‘jurisdiction’, she had reached out to leaders of other parties and they were supportive.

TORONTO: Canada will quickly ratify the membership of Finland and Sweden in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), as and when it has been approved.

Flags flutter in the wind outside Nato headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. (AP)

Speaking to reporters during the course of a teleconference from Brussels, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly said such ratification has support from across party lines in Canada.

She said while the process does not require parliamentary approval and the executive branch has “jurisdiction”, she had reached out to leaders of other parties and they were supportive.

Both Finland and Sweden has expressed their intention to join Nato and that process will involve ratification of membership by each of the 30 countries forming the bloc.

“Canada is not only in favour of their accession, I would say also a quick accession of these countries, because we believe that they are a net gain for the alliance,” Joly was quoted as saying by the outlet CBC News. “We have common shared values, we also participate in many military exercises together and definitely Sweden and Finland have strong armies,” she added.

Replying similarly to a tweet from Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she noted, “Canada will strongly support an application by Finland to join Nato. Finland and Canada share common progressive values and Finland is already one of Nato’s closest partners. Time is of the essence and we encourage all Nato allies work to support their membership rapidly.”

Joly is currently in Europe, where she was in Berlin for the G7 and Nato foreign ministers’ meetings and then Brussels on Monday.