Carney makes historic first visit to Qatar to boost investment and ties
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Doha for a two-day visit, the first by a sitting Canadian prime minister to Qatar, focused on investment, trade and security partnerships.
Copy link
By Torontoer Staff
Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Doha for a two-day visit aimed at deepening bilateral ties and attracting Qatari investment to Canada. The trip marks the first time a sitting Canadian prime minister has visited Qatar.
Canadian officials say the visit will focus on trade access, strategic partnerships in technology and energy, and cooperation on diplomatic and security issues. Meetings are scheduled with government and business leaders, including the Qatar Investment Agency and the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Why Qatar now
Canadian officials describe Qatar as an increasingly important diplomatic and financial actor. The country has hosted negotiations on conflicts from the Israel-Hamas war to efforts to reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russian forces. Its sovereign wealth, fuelled by natural gas revenues, has backed overseas investments in sectors from infrastructure to technology.
At the same time, international rights groups have raised concerns about labour practices, surveillance and limits on free expression in Qatar. Ottawa faces a balancing act: courting capital and strategic partnership while remaining alert to human rights issues.
What Carney will do in Doha
Carney’s schedule includes meetings with the Qatar Investment Agency, a luncheon at the bureaucratic headquarters and a bilateral meeting with the Emir. Officials say announcements are expected on cultural exchanges, information sharing and cooperation in diplomatic and security arenas.
- Talks with the Qatar Investment Agency on potential capital deployment into Canada
- Discussions on sector partnerships in artificial intelligence, renewables and clean technology
- Bilateral meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
- Planned announcements on cultural and diplomatic collaboration
We need partners. We need investors, and this is what this trip is all about.
François-Philippe Champagne, Finance Minister
The investment push
Ottawa is pursuing a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement with Qatar to give investors confidence that capital will be secure and protected. Officials say Qataris are "very interested" in deploying capital to Canada, targeting infrastructure and major projects as potential recipients.
Trade between Canada and Qatar remains modest. In 2024 bilateral trade totalled about $325 million, with Canadian exports valued at roughly $159 million. Canadian leaders are pitching Canada as a stable, long-term destination for sovereign and private investment, particularly in sectors that match Canadian priorities such as clean tech and AI.
We are creating a framework to build, and we need investment above and beyond what’s available here in Canada.
Goldy Hyder, Business Council of Canada
Diplomatic context
Carney’s stop in Doha follows a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that set out a new five-pillar strategic partnership between Canada and China. That agreement included commitments on finance, agriculture and people-to-people ties, and adjustments to tariffs on certain goods.
Business and government voices characterise the China and Qatar visits as complementary. The China meetings aim to expand export markets, while the Qatar trip is intended to secure inbound capital to build trade-enabling infrastructure.
On the one hand, there is an export strategy. On the other hand, we need investment into our country so that we can build the trade enabling infrastructure.
Goldy Hyder, Business Council of Canada
What to watch
Observers will be watching for a signed investment protection accord, the size and scope of any Qatari commitments to Canadian projects, and concrete timelines for collaboration in AI and clean energy. Human rights concerns are likely to remain part of the public and parliamentary conversation as ties deepen.
Carney’s visit is intended to start a more sustained partnership that blends diplomacy, security cooperation and private capital. How much new investment arrives, and how Ottawa manages competing priorities, will determine whether the trip delivers long-term gains for Canada.
CanadaQatarMark Carneyinvestmenttradediplomacy
