Canada, UAE Advance US$50B Investment Partnership
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The UAE’s participation in the Canada Investment Summit 2026 comes at a point where the economic relationship between Abu Dhabi and Ottawa is moving beyond declarations of intent toward implementation. In less than a year, the two countries have moved from a major UAE investment commitment in Canada to the conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, followed by renewed engagement with investors and policymakers in Toronto.
UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi has been one of the central figures in that process, representing the UAE’s trade and investment agenda at a time when Canada is seeking long-term capital for projects in energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, infrastructure and other strategic sectors. Canada’s Investment Summit brought together investors from nearly 30 countries managing more than C$100 trillion in assets.
The current momentum builds on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the UAE in November 2025, when Canada welcomed what Ottawa described as a historic UAE decision to invest C$70 billion, or US$50 billion, in Canada. Discussions during that visit focused on critical minerals, energy, ports and artificial intelligence, while the two sides also signed a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and launched negotiations toward a broader trade agreement.
That commercial relationship advanced further in July 2026, when Al Zeyoudi and Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu announced in Toronto the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Canada-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA. The agreement has not yet been presented as being in force; the July announcement marked the completion of negotiations toward the deal, which is intended to reduce trade barriers, improve market access and create a broader framework for bilateral investment.
Carney highlighted the UAE agreement during his remarks at the Canada Investment Summit, saying the negotiations had been completed in 47 days, as part of a wider Canadian strategy to diversify trade and investment relationships beyond traditional markets.
The relationship has also been supported by sustained business engagement on both sides. During Sidhu’s Gulf visit in January, he and Al Zeyoudi discussed a planned UAE business delegation to Canada and opportunities in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and aerospace, energy, financial services, infrastructure and mining.
The Toronto summit therefore places earlier commitments into a more practical setting. Canada is now seeking to match large pools of domestic and international capital with projects it considers strategically important, while the UAE has already signalled an intention to deploy substantial investment into the Canadian economy. The next stage will be measured by which projects move from discussions and investment frameworks to final agreements, financing and construction.
For both countries, the significance of the relationship now extends beyond the size of a single commitment. It increasingly combines trade liberalization, investment protection, sovereign and institutional capital, technology cooperation and major-project development within a broader economic partnership.
