Canada–Denmark relations are the current and historical relations between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. Canada has an embassy in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Denmark has an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate-general in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Both countries are full members of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and the

Arctic Council The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic. At present, eight countries exercise sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle ...

. Relations between the two countries have attracted attention in light of the dispute over Hans Island, which was resolved in 2022.

History

In 1928, the bilateral relations between Canada and Denmark were strengthened, when members of the Canadian National Railways met with

Thomas Madsen-Mygdal Thomas Madsen-Mygdal (24 December 1876 – 23 February 1943) was a Danish politician from Venstre who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1926 to 1929. He was also Minister for Agriculture from 1920 to 1924 and again while concurrently ...

. The first treaty between Canada and Denmark was a visa requirements agreement, signed on 22 September and 14 October 1949. Both countries signed an agreement concerning taxes in 1956. Canada and Denmark agreed to cooperate with defence science in 1969. In 1983, a marine environmental, social and economic agreement was signed in Copenhagen. In 2010, the Denmark–USA/Canada Program was launched. The programme aims the internationalization of Danish education programmes.

Hans Island

Hans Island is a small, uninhabited barren knoll measuring , located in the centre of the

Kennedy Channel Kennedy Channel ( da, Kennedykanalen; french: Passage Kennedy; ) is an Arctic sea passage between Greenland and Canada's most northerly island, Ellesmere Island. It was named by Elisha Kane around 1854 during his second Arctic voyage in search ...

Nares Strait , other_name = , image = Map indicating Nares Strait.png , alt = , caption = Nares Strait (boxed) is between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry ...

. The island is claimed by both Canada and

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

with the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1973 Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark ratified a treaty defining the border in the area. The treaty did not define the border at Hans Island as no agreement was made on this. In 1984,

Tom Høyem Tom Høyem (born 10 October 1941) is a Danish and German politician, and former headmaster in the European Schools. Political career in Denmark Between September 1982 and September 1987, Høyem served as Minister for Greenland within the Da ...

, the Danish Minister for Greenland, raised the Danish flag on the island. On 25 July 2005, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Graham visited the island, sparking anger in Denmark. The Government of Denmark sent a letter of protest to Canada. Canada also sent two warships in 2005 to Hans Island, and . On 19 September 2009, both governments put in place a process to end the dispute. In January 2011, both countries were close to a resolution over the island. However, the border agreement signed in November 2012 did not contain a solution to the dispute. On 10 June 2022, Canadian newspaper ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' reported that the Canadian and Danish governments had settled on a border across the island, dividing it between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the Danish constituent country of

, to be formally unveiled on 14 June 2022.

High level visits

Crown Princess Margrethe (later Queen of Denmark) and her husband Prince

Henrik Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heik ...

visited Canada in September 1967. Queen Margrethe also visited Canada in 1991. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

visited Ottawa and

in 2014. When Prince Joachim married

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

they spent their honeymoon in Canada. The first four days in

Tofino Tofino ( ) is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The District of Tofino is located at the western terminus of Highway 4 on the tip of the Esowista Peninsu ...

, Vancouver Island and the rest in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Expatriates

Danes in Canada

About 200,000 people in Canada are of Danish origin or birth. They mostly live in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. New Denmark is a Canadian rural community in

Victoria County, New Brunswick Victoria County (2016 population 18,617) is located in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Farming, especially of potatoes, is the major industry in the county. Census subdivisions Communities There are five municipalities within Victoria Co ...

. The community derives its name from several Danish settlers who inhabited the area in 1872, eventually forming the largest and what would become the oldest Danish community in Canada; the Danish influence has diminished somewhat in recent decades due to out-migration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada - Denmark Relations