Minister Sidhu concludes productive trip to Gulf region in United Arab Emirates

January 19, 2026 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, concluded, on January 13, 2026, his trip to the Gulf region with a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Minister was accompanied on the trip by a high-level Canadian business delegation.

Building on the momentum of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent engagement in the UAE, Minister Sidhu visited the Gulf region to advance Canada’s trade diversification, strengthen market access and expand Canada’s global competitiveness as Canada works toward doubling non-U.S. exports over the next decade.

During the visit, Minister Sidhu and Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Envoy to Canada of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE and Chairman of Dubai Chambers, were present for the signing of a contract between Canadian company Alexa Translations and Al Tamimi & Company. The contract will provide artificial intelligence (AI)-powered legal translation solutions.

Other announcements made during the visit to further strengthen commercial cooperation between the two countries include the following:

• The National Bank of Canada announced it is opening an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre
• Novisto announced it is establishing a new office in Dubai Silicon Oasis
• Superheat announced it is registering its Middle East manufacturing entity in the UAE

The Minister met with senior government officials and industry leaders to strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties while highlighting opportunities for Canadian and UAE companies. He held a series of strategic engagements in the UAE, including meetings with:

• Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori
• Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World
• Khaled Al Shamlan Al Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Real Assets at Mubadala Investment Company

Minister Sidhu also met with Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE, to discuss the growing Canada-UAE economic relationship, including a planned visit by a UAE business delegation to Canada this year, the signing of the Canada-UAE Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement during Prime Minister Carney’s visit to the Gulf region in November 2025 and the launch of negotiations toward a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) that would cut tariffs, eliminate red tape and expand market access for Canadian exporters of goods and services.

The Minister engaged directly with partners, including with the Canada-UAE Business Council and the business community in Dubai. These sessions provided platforms for promoting Canada’s strengths in AI, advanced manufacturing and aerospace, energy, financial services, infrastructure and mining while supporting Canadian companies looking to expand into the region.

The Canadian business delegation that accompanied Minister Sidhu to the Gulf region included representatives of companies working in information and communications technology and AI, clean technology and energy, and infrastructure.

The Prime Minister’s and Minister’s recent trips to the UAE both underscored Canada’s commitment to expanding economic partnerships and to ensuring that Canadian businesses are well positioned to compete and succeed globally.