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The Abu Dhabi Media Office reported that His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Prime Minister Mark Carney at Parliament Hill where the leaders reviewed the momentum built in UAE-Canada relations since the prime minister’s visit to Abu Dhabi in November 2025. Discussions highlighted the importance of deepening their trusted partnership and boosting economic cooperation amid global challenges. The Crown Prince expressed pride in the close ties between the two nations while signing the Distinguished Visitors Book and conveyed hopes that the visit would open fresh avenues for collaboration serving mutual interests. Carney welcomed his guest and underscored the value of advancing joint priorities through concrete actions.
Talks concentrated on trade and investment alongside artificial intelligence advanced technology defence clean energy mining infrastructure logistics aviation space and food security according to a joint readout. The Abu Dhabi Media Office stated that the two sides witnessed the signing of the Canada-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which had been negotiated in a record 47 days. Canadian government figures show two-way merchandise trade reached 3.5 billion dollars in 2025 with Canadian exports growing more than 10 percent that year. The pact will reduce or eliminate tariffs on over 99 percent of current Canadian shipments to the UAE while tackling non-tariff barriers to improve predictability for businesses in both countries.
The new agreement is projected to double bilateral trade to 7 billion dollars over the next decade Canadian officials indicated. It is scheduled to enter into force in 2027 after ratification and will open opportunities for Canadian farmers manufacturers and aerospace firms in the UAE market which serves as a gateway to the broader Middle East and North Africa. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office noted that the CEPA builds upon an existing investment protection agreement already in effect between the nations.
Progress advanced on the UAE’s 70 billion dollar investment commitment in Canada first announced during Carney’s trip to Abu Dhabi last year. Canada’s minister of international trade Maninder Sidhu said the pledge could generate more than 100,000 jobs in sectors including logistics infrastructure energy critical minerals and artificial intelligence. Under this framework Emirati firms are pursuing negotiations valued at up to 15 billion dollars with Canadian counterparts the Abu Dhabi Media Office added.
Three additional memoranda of understanding were signed in defence renewable energy and diplomatic training during the visit. These instruments aim to foster exchanges of best practices and collaboration on emerging issues such as the impact of artificial intelligence on diplomacy according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The agreements align with both countries’ strategic interests and development goals while expanding people-to-people and institutional links.
The UAE ranks as Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East where more than 150 Canadian companies maintain operations government data shows. An estimated 60,000 Canadians reside and work in the UAE contributing to the breadth of the relationship that spans more than five decades. Prime Minister Carney said “The UAE and Canada are building big. In less than a year we have put an investment protection agreement in force negotiated and signed a trade agreement in record time and turned a historic 70 billion commitment into real investments in Canadian energy infrastructure and technology.”
