Canada and Lebanon on Friday launched a new framework for security and development cooperation, the Canada-Lebanon Partnership for Security and Resilience (CLPSR), as Foreign Minister Anita Anand met Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Raggi, in Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada said in a joint statement.

Source: Global Affairs Canada — joint statement, Nov 6 2026

The partnership will strengthen cooperation on security, stabilization, humanitarian assistance, governance and development, in support of a secure and stable Lebanon, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the principle that arms must remain under the exclusive authority of the Lebanese state, the statement said. The two sides also agreed to establish an annual senior officials' dialogue to carry the work forward.

Three projects under the partnership

Canada will contribute through three named projects. The first strengthens counter-terrorism capacity, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces' Special Operations Forces with advanced reconnaissance training and instructor capacity-building. The second advances reconciliation and social cohesion, addressing the legacy of the Lebanese Civil War through intergenerational dialogue and the engagement of women and youth.

The third project protects civilians from explosive threats — reducing risks from unexploded ordnance in affected communities, supporting safe returns and livelihoods, and strengthening the safe management and storage of weapons and ammunition.

The ministers also discussed developments in southern Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have continued despite a ceasefire, and emphasised protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian access. They reaffirmed the importance of implementing the Trilateral Framework Agreement and discussed a coordinated transition following the planned drawdown of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, alongside continued support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and other state institutions, and reforms to strengthen governance and economic recovery.

"Canada stands with Lebanon in its efforts to strengthen security, advance reforms, and build a more stable and prosperous future," Anand said. "Through the Canada-Lebanon Partnership for Security and Resilience, we are deepening our cooperation and reaffirming our commitment to supporting the Lebanese people and their institutions."

In a separate Ottawa meeting, Raggi urged Canada to support Beirut's efforts to end Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory and bring all weapons under state control, in talks with Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné, and told Arab League ambassadors that the framework agreement signed with Israel is a basis for future negotiations, not a final treaty, GeoXAxis reported.

Source: GeoXAxis, Nov 6 2026

The joint statement grounded the partnership in the longstanding friendship between the two countries and Canada's large Lebanese diaspora — one of the biggest in the world — whose families follow events in southern Lebanon closely, including the escalation fears now gripping towns across the south.

The Ottawa launch came on the same day residents across Lebanon were packing emergency bags amid fears of a wider Israeli escalation. Read: Lebanon families pack bags over escalation fears