TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in on Wednesday 鈥� the first visit to the kingdom by a Canadian leader in 26 years 鈥� as he seeks to beyond its heavy reliance on the United States.
Carney is to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman 鈥� the kingdom’s de facto ruler 鈥� on Thursday, and he will also address the Saudi Arabia-Canada Investment Forum and attend a signing ceremony.
The trip underscores Ottawa鈥檚 effort to diversify trade and attract investment as U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs and threats to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement highlight Canada鈥檚 dependence on the U.S., its largest trading partner.
For its part, Saudi Arabia has sought to attract foreign investment as Prince Mohammed pursues an ambitious plan to diversify the kingdom鈥檚 economy beyond oil.
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said 鈥淭rump鈥檚 erratic trade and foreign policies” have forced Carney to reach out “to others in a new and evolving world order.鈥�
Canada and Saudi Arabia restored full diplomatic ties in 2023, ending a yearslong rift sparked by Canada鈥檚 criticism of the kingdom鈥檚 human rights record.
The rift erupted in 2018, when Saudi Arabia expelled Canada鈥檚 ambassador and recalled its own after Canada鈥檚 Foreign Ministry called for the release of jailed women鈥檚 rights activists. Riyadh froze new trade and investment, sold some Canadian assets and ordered thousands of Saudi students in Canada to study elsewhere. The activists have since been released.
Also in 2018, Prince Mohammed’s reputation was tarnished by the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. A U.S. intelligence assessment declassified in 2021 concluded the crown prince had likely approved the operation.
Daniel B茅land, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said the timing of Carney鈥檚 visit matters not just because of his push to 鈥渄iversify trade and help attract new foreign investments to Canada鈥� but also 鈥渂ecause of the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East鈥� and the .
鈥淚t seems increasingly clear that, for Mark Carney, trade and security are much more pressing concerns than human rights,鈥� B茅land said.
But Wiseman stressed that 鈥淐arney says he is taking the world as it is.鈥�
“It doesn鈥檛 mean looking beyond human rights; it means being realistic about what preaching about it to authoritarian leaders can accomplish,鈥� he said.
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