PM Carney to attend NATO Summit in Türkiye, visit Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he will travel to Ankara, Türkiye, from July 6 to 8, 2026, to participate in the 2026 NATO Summit, followed by a bilateral visit to Saudi Arabia from July 8 to 10, 2026. The visits aim to deepen Canada's partnerships in defence, trade, and technology, reinforcing the country's sovereignty and role as a reliable ally. Canada has achieved NATO's 2% defence expenditure target and is on track to meet the 5% target by 2035, marking the largest increase in defence investment in a generation.

Strengthening NATO alliances

At the NATO Summit, the Prime Minister will focus on strengthening Canada's contributions to the alliance and forging new partnerships with allies. Key initiatives include building shared security, particularly in defence of Ukraine, and maintaining the largest sustained military presence in Europe in over 30 years through Operation REASSURANCE. Canada has also become the first non-European member of the European Union's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative.

Expanding trade with Saudi Arabia

During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Carney will meet with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to deepen the Canada-Saudi Arabia partnership. The discussions will cover energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure, and investment, with a focus on expanding trade and promoting two-way investment. This marks the first visit by a Canadian Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia in 26 years.

Key milestones and initiatives

Canada has modernised its defence procurement through the launch of the Defence Investment Agency and Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy. The country is also advancing the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), a multilateral financial institution designed to mobilise private capital for collective security. Saudi Arabia is Canada's second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region, with bilateral trade totalling $3.5 billion in 2025.

Initiative	Description
NATO Defence Expenditure Target	Achieved 2% target; on track for 5% by 2035
SAFE Initiative	First non-European member to join
Defence Investment Agency	Launched to modernise procurement
DSRB	Multilateral bank for defence financing

Recent bilateral engagements

The visit to Saudi Arabia builds on recent engagements by Canadian ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in March 2026 and Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu in January 2026. These efforts underscore Canada's commitment to advancing cooperation in priority sectors such as mining, artificial intelligence, cleantech, agriculture, tourism, and life sciences.

Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Parliamentary Secretary Tim Louis met with provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for Internal Trade at the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) meeting on June 29, 2026, to discuss efforts to liberalize trade and facilitate labour mobility. Following the meeting, Minister LeBlanc issued a statement emphasizing that trade and labour mobility barriers hinder economic growth and add unnecessary costs. He called for the Committee to move faster on priorities and meet established timelines to make it easier for businesses to sell goods and services across the country.

First Ministers' Commitments

Minister LeBlanc highlighted the necessity of driving forward work to meet commitments made by First Ministers in January 2026. Key priorities include expanding mutual recognition to the services sector by the end of the year and aligning approval processes for new building materials and prefabricated homes by the end of the year. Additionally, the government plans to implement digital public registries by Spring 2027 to speed up credential verification for skilled trades workers and harmonize key health and safety training requirements in the construction sector by fall 2026.

Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Sales

The discussion addressed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on direct-to-consumer alcohol sales. Minister LeBlanc noted that it was disappointing provinces and territories missed the initial implementation deadline of May 2026. However, efforts are underway to ensure the framework is in place this summer.

Agriculture and Food Products

Efforts to improve interprovincial trade in agriculture and food products were also discussed, in line with the National Food Security Strategy. The federal government is taking action to help provincially licensed food businesses meet federal requirements to facilitate the sale of their products across Canada.

Canadian Free Trade Agreement Amendments

Negotiations on amendments to Chapter 7 of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement were advanced during the meeting. These amendments aim to enhance labour mobility provisions, support workers, and address labour needs across the country. Minister LeBlanc expressed optimism that all jurisdictions will soon endorse the changes. The next meeting is scheduled for August in Iqaluit.