OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will welcome Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to Ottawa on October 26 and 27, 2026, as Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) move to expand a partnership that has produced a trade deal negotiated in a record 47 days and a $70 billion investment commitment.
Carney announced the visit on October 25. During the two-day visit, Sheikh Khaled will meet with the Prime Minister to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in priority sectors, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Abu Dhabi Media Office confirmed the official visit begins on October 26, noting that UAE-Canada relations span more than five decades.
“Canada and the United Arab Emirates have enormous potential to deepen our economic and security ties,” Carney said in the announcement, adding that the two countries will turn that potential into “concrete results,” including more trade and new investment.
A Canada-UAE trade deal negotiated in a record 47 days
The visit builds on a rapid run of agreements this year. Canada and the UAE negotiated a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in just 47 days. A CEPA is a broad trade pact that lowers barriers on goods, services, and investment between two countries. Negotiations concluded in July 2026, making it the fastest such agreement ever negotiated in the two countries’ histories, according to the PMO.
Before that, the two countries finalised the Canada-UAE Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA), a treaty that gives investors from each country legal protections and greater predictability when they invest in the other. The FIPA was signed during Carney’s November 2025 visit to the UAE, where he met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and it entered into force in May 2026.
$70 billion UAE investment commitment and $3.5 billion in two-way trade
The November 2025 visit also produced the UAE’s landmark $70 billion investment commitment to Canada, which Ottawa describes as a strong vote of confidence in the Canadian economy, with energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, aerospace, and agri-food named among the partnership’s key areas.
The trade relationship behind the visit is already substantial. Two-way merchandise trade between Canada and the UAE was valued at $3.5 billion in 2025, made up of $2.8 billion in Canadian exports and $679.1 million in imports, and Canadian merchandise exports to the UAE grew by more than 10 per cent that year. More than 150 Canadian companies have an operational presence in the UAE, and an estimated 60,000 Canadians live and work in the country.
Why the Ottawa visit matters for Surrey and BC readers
For readers in Surrey and across British Columbia, the most direct links are trade and people. The sectors Ottawa and Abu Dhabi say they will target next, including energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, and agri-food, are industries where BC businesses are active exporters, and the UAE is a major commercial hub for the Gulf region. Closer Canada-UAE ties also matter to the tens of thousands of Canadians who live and work in the Emirates, and to Canadian companies looking for a base in the region.
What to watch in Ottawa on October 26 and 27
The PMO says the leaders will work to expand the partnership into new strategic areas, including defence and security, energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, international development, space and advanced communications technologies, and quantum and artificial intelligence. Watch for announcements on the next steps for the CEPA and for specific projects under the $70 billion investment commitment as the meetings unfold on Monday and Tuesday. Apna News will update this story as the visit proceeds.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office, news release, October 25, 2026; Abu Dhabi Media Office, October 25, 2026.
