Carney in Saudi Arabia Today… Canada Opens a New Economic Door Beyond Washington’s Pressure

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Saudi Arabia today on a visit that carries clear political and economic significance, marking the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to the Kingdom in 26 years. The visit comes as Ottawa seeks to expand its global partnerships and reduce its heavy dependence on the United States amid renewed trade tensions and tariff pressure.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Carney’s visit to Saudi Arabia runs from July 8 to 10, 2026, following his participation in the NATO Summit in Türkiye. During the visit, he is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and take part in the Saudi Arabia-Canada Investment Forum, where the two sides are looking to deepen economic and strategic cooperation.

For Canada, the Saudi stop is not only a diplomatic gesture. It fits into a broader effort to diversify trade and investment links beyond Washington, especially as Canada faces uncertainty caused by current and potential U.S. tariffs and wider trade tensions. This gives the visit an important economic angle at a moment when Ottawa is trying to protect Canadian businesses from overexposure to one market.

The agenda includes several sectors that matter to Canada’s future economic security, including energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, clean technology, agriculture, tourism, mining and life sciences. These areas reflect Canada’s attempt to connect trade policy with strategic industries, while also attracting Gulf investment into major projects.

The visit also represents a clear reset in Canada-Saudi relations. The two countries went through a serious diplomatic crisis in 2018 after Canada criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, before full diplomatic relations were restored in 2023. Carney’s trip now moves the relationship into a more practical phase, focused on trade, investment, security and regional diplomacy.

Still, the visit remains politically sensitive. Saudi Arabia continues to face international scrutiny over human rights, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman remains a controversial figure internationally following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. For Carney’s government, the trip reflects a more pragmatic foreign policy approach: engaging with powerful global partners while trying to advance Canadian interests in an unstable world.

Saudi Arabia is already one of Canada’s most important commercial partners in the region. Global Affairs Canada says Saudi Arabia was Canada’s largest two-way trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa in 2025, with merchandise trade between the two countries reaching about $3.5 billion.

For Saudi Arabia, the Canadian visit also comes at a time when the Kingdom is seeking to attract foreign expertise and investment as part of its long-term economic transformation plans. For Canada, the opportunity is to open new doors for Canadian companies while building economic ties that give Ottawa more room to manoeuvre when relations with Washington become tense.

The message behind Carney’s visit is not that Canada is turning away from the United States, but that it is trying to avoid depending on one economic door alone. In a world shaped by tariffs, supply chain pressure, regional conflict and competition over strategic industries, Ottawa appears to be looking for a wider map of partners — and Saudi Arabia is now part of that map.