Prime Minister Mark Carney will depart Ottawa next week for a high-stakes diplomatic swing through Ankara and Riyadh, his office confirmed on 30 June 2026. The trip begins with the NATO Summit in Türkiye from 6-8 July, followed immediately by the first bilateral Canadian prime-ministerial visit to Saudi Arabia in 26 years (8-10 July). For Canadian multinationals, the itinerary matters as much as the symbolism. Ankara will host side-events on defence industrial co-operation and supply-chain resilience, areas where Ottawa recently rolled out generous export financing. In Riyadh, Carney will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to advance memoranda covering critical minerals, artificial intelligence and infrastructure. Canadian engineering, agri-tech and clean-tech firms seeking Gulf contracts should watch for market-access announcements. The Prime Minister’s Office underscored that Canada has now met NATO’s 2 % defence-spending target for the first time since 1990. Analysts say that could translate into increased outbound postings for Canadian defence contractors and a surge in Global Skills Strategy work-permit applications as firms move talent to allied markets. Travel logistics for the delegation illustrate Canada’s new pre-clearance ambitions: staff will clear outbound customs at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport under a pilot scheme designed to mirror U.S. pre-clearance. If successful, similar facilities could be offered to accredited business travellers by 2027, cutting wait times for government-supported trade missions. Carney’s visit also signals a thaw in Canada-Saudi relations after years of strained ties. Easing of travel advisories is anticipated if talks on human-rights assurances progress, potentially reopening the Saudi market to Canadian service-sector expatriates who left after 2018’s diplomatic spat.
