The UAE and Canada have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), witnessed by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada during the Crown Prince’s official visit to Canada.
Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, and Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, signed on behalf of their respective governments, in the presence of ministers, senior officials, and business leaders from both countries.
The agreement establishes a framework to reduce or eliminate tariffs across a wide range of goods, improve market access, streamline customs procedures, facilitate trade in services, and strengthen the investment environment. It will take effect following the completion of ratification procedures.
Sheikh Khaled said the CEPA reflects the strength of bilateral relations and a shared commitment to building a long-term economic partnership, adding that it would open new pathways for private-sector growth and innovation in both countries.
The deal comes as trade between the two countries has grown sharply. Bilateral non-oil trade reached C$5.9 billion (approximately US$4.2 billion) in 2025, up 21 percent from 2024 and 19 percent from 2023.
In the first half of 2026, that figure reached C$2.85 billion (approximately US$2.03 billion), a 19 percent increase on the same period in 2025. Canada is the UAE’s third-largest trading partner in the Americas; the UAE is Canada’s largest Arab trading partner.
The CEPA builds on a broader investment framework, valued at up to C$70 billion (approximately US$50 billion), announced when Prime Minister Carney visited the UAE in November 2025. That framework targets cooperation across clean energy, mining, artificial intelligence, agri-food, aviation, space, and infrastructure.
The UAE’s CEPA programme, launched in September 2021, has progressively expanded the country’s network of bilateral trade agreements as part of its broader economic diversification agenda.
