UAE and Canada to boost trade, investment relations

Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, received Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, on the sidelines of the Canada Investment Summit 2026 in Toronto.

Al Zeyoudi was accompanied by a high-level UAE delegation including leading investors, business leaders, and officials from the public and private sectors participated in the Investment Summit.

At the start of the meeting, Al Zeyoudi conveyed to Prime Minister Carney the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, along with their wishes for continued progress and prosperity for Canada and its people.

Prime Minister Carney welcomed Al Zeyoudi and his accompanying delegation and conveyed his greetings to the UAE leadership. He expressed his country’s appreciation for the growing bilateral relationship with the UAE and his aspiration to continue strengthening it in areas of mutual interest, foremost of which is trade and investment.

The two sides discussed the growing momentum in trade and investment relations between the UAE and Canada and ways to take cooperation to wider horizons in priority sectors including clean energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, agri-food, aviation, space, and infrastructure.

Both sides stressed the importance of accelerating the implementation of the $50 billion investment framework, announced during Prime Minister Carney’s visit to the UAE in November 2025, as a practical platform to transform shared ambitions into quality projects that serve long-term growth.

The meeting also addressed the progress achieved since the conclusion of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations between the UAE and Canada last July, which were completed in record time, the fastest negotiation under the UAE’s CEPA programme and the fastest trade negotiation ever concluded by Canada.

Al Zeyoudi said, “Our meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and our participation in the Canada Investment Summit 2026 embodies the depth of the UAE-Canada economic partnership and the potential it holds to support sustainable growth and create new opportunities for the business communities of both countries. The UAE and Canada have made significant strides in the past period to enhance their strategic trade and investment relations, whether through the conclusion of the CEPA negotiations in record time or through the US$50 billion investment framework, and we are working today to turn this momentum into concrete projects in sectors that are key drivers of the future economy, such as clean energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, agri-food, aviation, and space. By deepening economic integration and expanding channels of cooperation between the public and private sectors, we are opening wider horizons for trade and investment and establishing a model for international partnerships based on openness, trust, and mutual benefit.”

During the visit, Al Zeyoudi held a series of bilateral engagements including a working luncheon hosted by the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, and meetings with the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue; the Honourable Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta; the Honourable Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan; the Honourable Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba; the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of AI, Digital Transformation and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister and Board Chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation.

Al Zeyoudi also met with Dominic Barton, Chair of the Board of Directors of Invest in Canada, and Paul Desmarais III, CEO of Sagard.

Discussions focused on strengthening trade and investment relations between the UAE and Canada, exploring opportunities to expand bilateral commerce, activating further cooperation between the private sectors of both countries, and leveraging the UAE’s strategic location as a gateway to regional and global markets and a reliable platform to build more diversified and resilient economic partnerships.

The UAE delegation included Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chair of Dubai Chambers and UAE Foreign Minister’s Envoy to Canada; Mohammad Abdulrahman Alhawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Investment; Abdulrahman Ali Al Neyadi, UAE Ambassador to Canada; Essa Kazim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DP World; Mohammed Al Shaibani, Managing Director of Investment Corporation of Dubai; Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of ALTÉRRA; Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Deputy Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of Adnoc Upstream; and Murtaza Hussain, Managing Partner of Lunate.

WAM