Canada, UAE Sign Trade Deal
Is a Canada-UAE trade deal complicity in Sudan's bloodshed or the economic diversification Canadian workers need?
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Above: Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince (L) and Mark Carney on Oct. 27. Image credit: Mark Carney via X
The Facts
- Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu and his UAE counterpart Thani Al Zeyoudi signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in Ottawa, presided over by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Tuesday.
- The Prime Minister's Office said the pact will reduce or eliminate tariffs on more than 99% of current Canadian exports to the UAE once fully implemented, covering sectors such as agriculture, aerospace and engineering. It is expected to take effect in 2027.
- Negotiations concluded in July after 47 days of formal talks, which both governments called a record. Once it enters into force, the UAE will grant preferential access to 93.4% of tariff lines and 93.6% of current Canadian exports.
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The Spin
Government-critical narrative
Chasing a quick trade win with Abu Dhabi while a genocide rages in Sudan puts profit ahead of human life. Deepening defense and economic ties with a government accused of arming the RSF makes Canada a partner in those atrocities. Canada has real leverage to pressure the RSF's backers, and trading that away for tariff cuts is a moral failure.
Pro-government narrative
The diversification the economy needs is a trade pact that strips tariffs off nearly all Canadian exports. Access to one of the Gulf's biggest economies opens real doors for workers in aerospace, agri-food, tech and forest products. Blowing up that partnership would leave Canada poorer and less secure while doing nothing to stop the violence in Sudan.
