Canada and UAE Sign Trade and Defence Pacts, Agree to Extradition Talks

Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a free-trade agreement and a defence co-operation pact with the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The signings came during a visit to Ottawa by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom Carney hosted in the capital.

The trade deal has a longer history. In a news release issued on Oct. 25, the Prime Minister's Office said Canada and the UAE had concluded negotiations toward a trade agreement in July 2026. The free-trade pact signed on Tuesday is the product of those talks.

Canada also agreed to launch negotiations on an extradition treaty with the UAE, according to The Globe and Mail. An extradition treaty sets the terms for one country handing a person over to another. If concluded, it would let the UAE ask Canada to hand over people wanted in the UAE for conduct considered crimes in both countries. Canada has agreed only to start those negotiations.

The UAE made a pledge last fall to invest $70 billion in Canada.