SAUDI ARABIA — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. This visit marks the first time a Canadian leader has traveled to the kingdom in 26 years.

Carney's schedule includes a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday. He is also set to address the Saudi Arabia-Canada Investment Forum and attend a signing ceremony.

Canada and Saudi Arabia restored full diplomatic ties in 2023. A diplomatic dispute began in 2018 after Canada's Foreign Ministry called for the release of jailed women's rights activists.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador and recalled its own ambassador. Riyadh also froze new trade and investment with Canada that year. During the same period, Riyadh sold some Canadian assets and directed thousands of Saudi students in Canada to pursue their studies elsewhere. The jailed women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia have since been released.

Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A U.S. intelligence assessment declassified in 2021 concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely approved the operation to kill Khashoggi.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, stated that policies under the previous U.S. administration influenced Carney's decision to seek engagement with other nations. "Trump's erratic trade and foreign policies have forced Carney to reach out to others in a new and evolving world order," Wiseman said. He added that Carney is approaching current global affairs with realism. "Carney says he is taking the world as it is," Wiseman said. "It doesn't mean looking beyond human rights; it means being realistic about what preaching about it to authoritarian leaders can accomplish."

Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University, indicated that for Prime Minister Carney, trade and security are major concerns. "It seems increasingly clear that, for Mark Carney, trade and security are much more pressing concerns than human rights," Béland said.