Toronto [Canada], July 26: Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, led a government and business delegation to Toronto, Canada, that was designed to deepen bilateral economic ties.
The visit marked a significant moment in the evolution of UAE-Canada relations, with Al Zeyoudi co-chairing a business roundtable alongside the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Canada's Minister of International Trade, in which senior business leaders and government officials from both countries gathered to identify opportunities for greater private-sector collaboration. The roundtable was moderated by the Honourable Jean Charest, Co-Chair of the Canada-UAE Business Council, former Premier of Quebec and Partner at Therrien Couture Joli-Coeur.
Al Zeyoudi said the visit underlines Canada's importance as a trade and investment partner. "With its world-class capabilities in agri-food, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, as well as a financial services sector that complements our own economic ambitions, Canada is a nation of increasing focus for our private sector.
Our conversations in Toronto this week have centered on building lasting, commercially meaningful links that will create value for our respective businesses communities over the long term. The depth of interest from Canadian companies to engage with the UAE reflects the genuine opportunity that exists on both sides, and we are now looking to build on the more than US$4.2 billion in bilateral non-oil trade that we exchanged in 2025."
On th visit,Al Zeyoudi held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart Hon. Maninder Sidhu, as well as representatives from the Royal Bank of Canada, including Neil McLaughlin, Group Head, Wealth Management & Insurance; Lindsay Patrick, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer; Wayne Bossert, Deputy Chairman, RBC Wealth Management; John Stackhouse, SVP, Office of the CEO; and Thomas Ashcroft, Global Issues Policy Lead.
Al Zeyoudi also visited the Vector Institute, one of Canada's leading AI research non-profits. There he met Cameron Schuler, Chief Commercialization Office and Vice President, Industry Innovation; Alan Veerman, Chief Operations and Finance Officer; and Roxana Sultan, Chief Partnership Officer, with the two sides discussing ways to translate Al breakthroughs into practical applications through talent development, commercialization, and industry partnerships.
The business roundtable brought together senior representatives from leading Canadian and UAE companies in sectors that included agri-food, clean energy, financial services, logistics, and technology. Participants explored opportunities to expand bilateral investment flows, strengthen supply-chain partnerships, and leverage the UAE's position as a global trade hub to facilitate Canadian access to markets across the Gulf, the broader Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
The visit sought to capitalize on the remarkable trajectory of UAE-Canada economic relations in recent years. In 2025, bilateral non-oil foreign trade reached US$4.2 billion, a 21.0% year-on-year increase compared to 2024, and a 94.9% increase compared to 2019. UAE non-oil exports to Canada grew by 11.0% year-on-year to US$638 million in 2025, led by jewelry and precious metal products, steel structures, and perfumes, while UAE re-exports to Canada surged 67.4% to US$648 million, reflecting growing demand for value-added UAE-sourced goods.
The visit forms part of the UAE's active international trade engagement agenda, which aims to increase the UAE's non-oil foreign trade to US$1.1 trillion by 2031. Through its trade promotion activities, ministerial engagements, and business delegation programmes, the Ministry of Foreign Trade continues to drive economic diversification and forge closer commercial partnerships with like-minded nations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Source: Emirates News Agency
