Joly said at a news conference that Canada and the US also agreed to hold the first Canada-US Strategic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific to further align approaches to the region.

“The US and Canada are indeed Pacific nations,” Joly said.

“We both believe in deepening our diplomatic and economic ties, and strengthening the resiliency of our global supply chain.”

US president Joe Biden, who launched the IPEF in May on a trip to Tokyo, wants to use it as a way to raise environmental, labour, and other standards across Asia.

In addition to the US, the IPEF members are Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The countries in September agreed on parameters for negotiating closer trade, environmental, and economic ties that US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said will boost investment and jobs in the partner countries.