Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will embark on a whirlwind eight-day international tour next week, visiting Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia, and China to attend four separate multilateral summits. Mark Carney will return to Dublin five months after his last visit.
The journey kicks off in Dublin for a meeting of the European Political Community, focusing on strategic cooperation across the continent.
Here is why that matters for Ottawa’s broader trade strategy. The timing of this multi-nation diplomatic blitz coincides directly with delicate economic negotiations closer to home.
Trump told reporters in Iowa before participating in an election rally—two days ahead of the midterm congressional elections—that the two nations possess the broad outlines of a very good agreement, pointing to zero tariffs on American agricultural exports and adding that the pact will be great for their farmers, great for their country, and suitable for Canada. Meanwhile, Mark Carney took to social media to report that he had a good conversation with the US president on the future of trade between Canada and the United States, emphasizing that his teams will work over the coming weeks to finalize an arrangement protecting Canadian languages, culture, sovereignty, jobs, and family affordability. The two neighbors, whose economies are closely linked, have been engaged in a trade conflict since Donald Trump returned to power and imposed new tariffs on Canadian products entering the United States, prompting Ottawa to retaliate. Mark Carney had stood up to the US president at the end of August by breaking off trade negotiations with the White House. The tariffs put in place by Donald Trump made and hindered the trade of Canadian products necessary to Americans, such as road salt, troubling the election campaign of certain elected officials from the presidential camp in the United States. In the final stretch, the White House modified certain tariffs at the request of Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine in the northeast, whose seat is in peril according to polls.
From Dublin, Carney flies to Manila for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Canada is positioned to sign a free-trade agreement with the ASEAN bloc, alongside a bilateral pact directly with the Philippines.
Attending Summits in Cambodia and Shenzhen
Carney’s itinerary continues into Cambodia for the Francophonie summit, which Canada will host in 2028.
The Prime Minister will travel to the Chinese technology hub of Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Bringing together leaders from Asia, South America, and the South Pacific, the APEC gathering places Carney in Shenzhen.
| Destination | Summit / Event | Key Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin, Ireland | European Political Community | Strategic European cooperation |
| Manila, Philippines | ASEAN Summit | Bilateral and bloc free-trade agreements |
| Cambodia | Francophonie Summit | Preparation for Canada hosting in 2028 |
| Shenzhen, China | APEC Summit | Asia-Pacific economic and technological alignment |
Carney is scheduled to depart Ottawa immediately following next week’s Remembrance Day ceremonies. His return to the capital is booked for November 19.
