Canada and Türkiye are using Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to advance a free-trade agreement and a planned diplomatic upgrade, as their two-way merchandise trade exceeded CA$4.3 billion in 2025.
Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications set the official visit dates as Oct. 22-23, while Canada’s broader itinerary runs from Oct. 21 to 24. Ottawa describes the trip as the first dedicated bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister. Carney is scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara to discuss energy and mining, climate, defense and security, and people-to-people ties, then meet Turkish business leaders and investors in Istanbul.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson will accompany Carney, Canadian Ambassador to Ankara Marcel Lebleu told Anadolu Agency. Lebleu said the ministers were expected to meet their Turkish counterparts.
Global Affairs Canada reported more than CA$4.3 billion in two-way merchandise trade in 2025, including about CA$1.1 billion in Canadian exports and CA$3.2 billion in imports from Türkiye. Ottawa has framed closer commercial ties as part of diversifying its partnerships, naming energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, mining and critical minerals as areas for expansion. Canada says businesses and workers in both countries could benefit.
Canada’s public consultation on the proposed agreement ran from July 31 to Sept. 14. It invited views on potential effects and opportunities, including import sensitivities, and the government says it will publish a summary of responses.
Türkiye says the visit is intended to advance a planned Strategic Partnership upgrade and that agreements in several areas are planned. Its public announcement did not name the agreements.
Human Rights Watch said police raids from Sept. 12-14 targeted seven groups defending LGBT rights and two groups supporting people with HIV, and that police arrested at least 112 people. The Canadian Press reported that Canadian officials did not say whether Carney planned to raise the issue with Erdoğan.
The two leaders announced free-trade negotiations July 7, during a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara. Global Affairs Canada says technical teams are defining the agreement’s scope and preparing for the first negotiating round. Lebleu told Anadolu Agency that talks were expected to begin in November.
