On April 16, 2024 a working roundtable luncheon and discussion was held at the House of the Parliament in Ottawa with the Honourable John McKay, Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defense in the Canadian Parliament, as keynote speaker. The meeting was attended by the Ambassadors of Bulgaria, Greece, Finland, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Mongolia. The Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defense briefed on the latest developments regarding the Canadian defense, as well as the Canada-US dialogue under the Canada-US Parliamentary Cooperation Group with the Parliament in Ottawa, chaired by Mr. John McKay as well. Certain concerns were expressed over the upcoming US presidential elections and the unpredictability for the relations between the two North American countries this could bring. The roundtable meeting, held under the rules of "Chatham House", welcomed the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and the significant contribution the military capabilities of both countries shall provide to the collective defense of the Alliance, including for NATO's operational capabilities further North; the possible closer cooperation of Canada with the allies within the AUKUS’ formats; the enhanced technological upgrade of the Canadian defense and the expected setbacks; the situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean; the looming challenges for Canada in the Arctic given the insufficient approach to asserting its sovereignty in the region against the increased focus of Russia and China over the Northern Sea Route and the deconservation of the USSR arctic military infrastructure and the new buildup.