OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia and China from November 11 to 19, 2026, representing Canada at four major international summits to advance trade, investment, culture and security, the Prime Minister’s Office announced November 4, 2026.
In Dublin, Ireland, Prime Minister Carney will attend the Summit of the European Political Community. Canada and the European Union recently launched the Alliance for the Future and are working toward Canada becoming the EU’s first Associate Member. The EU is Canada’s second-largest global trading partner for goods and services, with a total value of approximately $178 billion in 2025.
The Prime Minister will then travel to Manila, Philippines, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit as Guest of the Chair. He will work to finalize the ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement, unlocking exports of more than $3.5 billion to one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions. During his visit, he will also aim to conclude negotiations on a new Canada-Philippines free trade agreement that is expected to triple bilateral trade between the two countries by 2035.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Prime Minister will attend the Sommet de la Francophonie to deepen ties across the French-speaking world ahead of Canada hosting the Sommet in 2028, the first time Canada hosts the Summit in 20 years, following the 2008 Summit in Quebec City. Canada is a founding member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and its second-largest institutional donor, contributing more than $43 million annually to Francophonie institutions.
Finally, the Prime Minister will travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Over the past year, Canada has transformed its relationship with China, launching a Strategic Partnership that is unlocking more than $7 billion in export markets for Canadian workers and businesses. China is Canada’s second-largest single-country merchandise trading partner, with two-way merchandise trade totalling $125.7 billion in 2025, and more than 1.7 million Canadian residents are of Chinese origin.
“Canada has what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology, and the capital. We are building our strength at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad. Canada is boldly unleashing our enormous potential, and we are just getting started,” Prime Minister Carney said.
The trip will mark Prime Minister Carney’s first visits to Cambodia and the Philippines since taking office, as well as his first participation in a Sommet de la Francophonie. In May 2026, in Armenia, he became the first non-European leader to participate in a Summit of the European Political Community.
For Surrey, the Manila stop carries the most direct local relevance. The Filipino community is one of Surrey’s largest, and a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement, alongside the ASEAN-Canada agreement, would open new export markets for B.C. businesses and new opportunities for the many Surrey families with ties to the Philippines. The China stop also matters locally: the Strategic Partnership and the trade measures announced this week in Beijing affect B.C. farmers, seafood harvesters and exporters who ship through the region’s ports.
(Source: Prime Minister’s Office, November 4, 2026)
