On the first-ever bilateral trip to Turkey by a Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney made it clear that Ottawa wants to get closer with Ankara.
What happened: Canada and Turkey signed a three-year action plan meant to boost cooperation on trade and investment, defence, energy, and intergovernmental dialogue. This sets the stage for talks on a comprehensive free trade deal, which will begin next month.
Why it’s happening: Turkey has a lot to offer Canada as it diversifies trade and industry away from the U.S. For one, the country has a complementary defence industry. “Canada’s strength lies in subsystems, sensors and components; Turkey’s lies in integrating them into platforms it can field and export,” one expert wrote in the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Plus, Turkey is expanding its energy capacity, making it a potential buyer of critical minerals, liquefied natural gas, and, most promisingly, CANDU nuclear reactors.
Why it matters: The feds have made it clear that they want to pursue deals with middle powers, even if they don’t share core values. Turkey is a prime example: it’s an illiberal democracy that is currently in the process of democratically backsliding even further. Just last month, global watchdogs decried a crackdown on dissent and LGBTQ+ rights groups.
Also worth noting is that Canada had a de facto arms embargo on Turkey from 2020 to 2024 stemming from improper use of Canadian-made military equipment; it was lifted primarily as a sweetener to win Turkish approval of Swedish NATO accession.
Bottom line: If deals like this one and with other questionable partners (e.g., Saudi Arabia) deliver economic boosts and industrial security, hand-wringing over them could fade.—QH
