OTTAWA — Canada wants to share more advanced technologies with its allies, Defense Secretary Anita Anand said Monday, as the trilateral military agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States begins to take an interest in these issues.

However, she did not say whether Canada is officially trying to join the tripartite agreement, known as AUKUS, as reported in a Globe and Mail article citing unidentified sources.

“Canada is keen to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other advanced technologies,” she told a news conference.

AUKUS was formed in September 2021 as a pact that required the US and UK to help Australia develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in response to growing concerns about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The three countries also agreed to “enhance our joint capabilities and interoperability,” with a focus on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and underwater capabilities.

The governments of New Zealand and Canada – the countries that together with AUKUS members form an intelligence-sharing alliance called Five Eyes – were questioned that they had not been invited to be part of the group.

New Zealand, which does not have nuclear weapons, said this is because it has no interest in nuclear submarines, the heart of the deal.

The Canadian government has not publicly stated whether it received an offer to join or why.

In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was not interested in nuclear-powered submarines, while Minister Anand repeatedly reiterated the close ties between the Five Eyes countries.

“We have great capabilities in this area and are always looking for ways to facilitate and work with our closest allies,” she said Monday, adding that work with her Five Eyes allies continues in “multiple areas.” .

Last fall, a senior official told the Canada-China Relations Committee that the government had expressed an interest in working with AUKUS.

Last autumn, Deputy Assistant Minister for Asia-Pacific at the Department for Global Affairs, Paul Thoppil, testified before the Parliamentary Committee on Canada-China Relations that “we expressed Australia’s interest in working groups on specific aspects of this agreement have informed. According to him, “Australia was in favor”.

However, it is unclear whether Great Britain or the USA are also interested.

“It’s one thing that we’ve asked for, it’s another thing that these three nations are united,” said Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a member of the China Strategic Risks Institute’s Advisory Board, which has urged Canada to act since the Establishment of the AUKUS to engage agreement.

“It would give us a seat in the room if not at the decision table,” she said.

The Liberal government recently unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy, which includes an increased military presence in the region and efforts to build friendships with like-minded countries in order to develop trade links that don’t go through China.

Ms McCuaig-Johnston, who was also a civil servant, argued that Canadian companies and researchers have a lot to offer, particularly in the fields of nuclear technology, subsea technology and artificial intelligence.