Canada News
Canada deepens bilateral and trade ties with United Arab Emirates
FILE: The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. (Photo: evanljsolomon/Instagram)
By Global Affairs Canada
From June 18 to 20, 2025, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed to Canada His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), for a high-level visit of the U.A.E.’s delegation that he led, where they discussed key areas of cooperation and reinforced the strong ties between Canada and the UAE.
The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario also met the delegation and discussed opportunities for Canada and the U.A.E. to collaborate on AI, through research and development, commercialization, and capital investments.
As part of this visit, the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, met with members of the delegation to advance economic opportunities as part of Canada’s commitment to trade diversification. Minister Sidhu also spoke with his counterpart H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, U.A.E. Minister of State for Foreign Trade, about the importance of strengthening the trade and investment relationship between the two countries.
At a business roundtable hosted by the Canada-UAE Business Council, Minister Sidhu spoke about how Canada and the UAE can continue to expand their trade relationship. He noted, for example, the recent opening of the Dubai Chambers office in Toronto, which will help unlock new opportunities for Canadian and Emirati businesses.
The Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development), also took this opportunity to meet with Reem Al Hashimy, the U.A.E.’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, to discuss relief efforts in Gaza and potential development cooperation between Canada and UAE.
Through a joint statement between Canada and the U.A.E., both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation across trade, investment, innovation, people-to-people ties, international development and regional peace and security. Growing Canada’s commercial ties with countries like the U.A.E. builds on Canada’s trade diversification strategy, creating new opportunities for Canadian businesses.
Quotes
“The visit of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Canada emphasizes the growing partnership between Canada and the U.A.E., especially at this time of global and economic uncertainty. Canada looks forward to continuing to work with the U.A.E. on deepening our two countries’ strategic and commercial relationship.”
– Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Canada and the U.A.E. are long-standing partners with a deep, strategic and growing economic relationship. As global hubs for innovation, investment and trade, our countries are well positioned to lead together in shaping a more prosperous and sustainable future. We are committed to unlocking new opportunities across key sectors—benefiting businesses, workers and communities in both countries. This visit marks an important step forward, laying the foundation for even deeper collaboration and shared growth in the years ahead.”
– Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade
Quick facts
- In 2024, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of Canada-United Arab Emirates diplomatic relations.
- It is estimated that 60,000 Canadians live and work in the UAE.
- In 2024, Canada-UAE two-way merchandise trade was valued at $3.4 billion, with $2.6 billion in exports and $800 million in imports.
- In 2024, the UAE was Canada’s top merchandise export destination in the Middle East and ranked 16th globally. Canadian merchandise exports to the UAE increased by 23.9% compared to the previous year, following a 14.2% rise between 2022 and 2023, indicating a sustained upward trend in trade activity.
- Foreign direct investment stock from the United Arab Emirates in Canada stood at $8.8 billion in 2024 (Ultimate Investing Country approach) and Canadian direct investment stock in the United Arab Emirates stood at $242 million in 2024 (Immediate investing country approach).
