OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will embark on a major four-nation international mission from November 11 to 19, 2026, traveling to Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia, and China. Anchoring the multi-stop tour is a high-stakes visit to Manila, marking Prime Minister Carney’s first official visit to the Philippines since taking office.
During his stop in Manila, Carney will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit as Guest of the Chair. A primary objective of the visit is to finalize negotiations on a dedicated bilateral Canada-Philippines Free Trade Agreement, a deal projected to triple two-way trade between the two nations by 2035.
Simultaneously, Carney will work to wrap up negotiations on the broader ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement. The deal promises to unlock more than $3.5 billion in Canadian exports to Southeast Asia, one of the world's fastest-growing economic zones, which represented the world's fifth-largest economy and third-largest population in 2025.
Economic momentum between Ottawa and Manila has been steadily accelerating. Following a strategic meeting between Prime Minister Carney and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the 2025 ASEAN Summit, the two nations established a formal target to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement by 2026. The third Joint Economic Commission met in February 2026 to lay the groundwork for high-level commercial collaboration.
The economic metrics underscore the significance of the Manila visit:
- Bilateral Merchandise Trade: Reached $3.4 billion in 2025, up 7.4% from $3.1 billion in 2024. Canadian exports accounted for $1.1 billion, while imports from the Philippines totaled $2.3 billion.
- Services Trade: Stood at $3.2 billion in 2024 (a 19.9% increase from 2023), with Canadian exports comprising $2.2 billion.
- Direct Foreign Investment: Canadian direct investment stock in the Philippines jumped 44.0% in 2025, reaching approximately $1.7 billion.
Through the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), Canada is focusing on driving growth in key strategic sectors including clean technologies, nuclear and renewable energy, critical minerals, agriculture, infrastructure, defense and security, and digital transformation.
While the Philippines visit forms a cornerstone of Canada’s economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Carney's itinerary spans four crucial global summits designed to build domestic resilience through international market expansion:
- Dublin, Ireland: Opening the trip, Carney will attend the Summit of the European Political Community. Following the recent launch of the Canada-EU Alliance for the Future and ongoing discussions regarding Canada becoming the EU's first Associate Member, the summit aims to open export markets, lower household costs, and increase youth mobility across the Atlantic.
- Manila, Philippines: Attending the ASEAN Summit to advance both the bilateral Canada-Philippines FTA and the region-wide ASEAN-Canada FTA.
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Carney will make his debut at the Sommet de la Francophonie to deepen linguistic and economic ties across French-speaking nations, setting the stage for Canada hosting the event in 2028.
- Shenzhen, China: Concluding the trip at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Building on a recently established Strategic Partnership that has unlocked over $7 billion in export opportunities, Carney aims to solidify trade connections and create long-term stability for Canadian industries.
“Canada has what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology, and the capital,” Prime Minister Carney stated. “We are building our strength at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad. Canada is boldly unleashing our enormous potential, and we are just getting started.”
