Canada and Sweden Launch New Strategic Partnership During Royal State Visit

Canada and Sweden strengthened economic, security, and innovation ties during a Royal State Visit that launched a new bilateral Strategic Partnership.

Ottawa — Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden to Ottawa on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a State Visit focused on strengthening economic, security, and innovation ties between the two countries.

Joining the Royal Couple were Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch and the largest business delegation ever to accompany a Swedish State Visit to Canada, demonstrating growing interest in partnerships across clean technology, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, defence, and life sciences.

Canada and Sweden Launch Strategic Partnership

During the visit, the two governments unveiled the new Canada-Sweden Strategic Partnership, a wide-ranging agreement designed to deepen cooperation across:

• Economic development, competitiveness, trade, and investment

• Security, defence, and resilience

• Arctic cooperation

• Digital transition, research, science, technology, and life sciences

• Climate, environment, and clean energy

The partnership is intended to create new high-paying careers in both countries, strengthen supply chain resilience, and expand research and innovation opportunities.

A Key Step in Canada’s Economic Transformation Strategy

The visit aligns with the federal government’s commitment to diversify trade and strengthen Canada’s economic resilience. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, expanding ties with Sweden supports the government’s goal to double exports with non-U.S. partners and attract new global investment.

Prime Minister Carney also met with members of Sweden’s business delegation to advance commercial partnerships and promote Canada as a destination for investment under Budget 2025, which outlines a plan to enable more than $1 trillion in new investments over the next five years.

Royal Visit Continues Through November 20

Their Majesties will continue engagements in Ottawa and Montréal through November 20, participating in cultural events, economic discussions, community visits, and bilateral meetings.

Canada and Sweden: Strong Economic and Security Partners

Canada and Sweden maintain deep ties through the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which has eliminated nearly all tariffs between the two countries. As a result, merchandise trade has grown 89% since 2016, reaching $4.9 billion in 2024. Bilateral services trade totaled $1.9 billion in 2023.

Both nations are Arctic partners and NATO Allies, coordinating closely on Arctic security, energy resilience, sustainable development, and support for Ukraine.

Quote

“It was an honour to welcome Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden to Canada. Their visit is a reminder of the strong friendship between our two Arctic nations and the values we share. The new Canada-Sweden Strategic Partnership will advance our countries’ shared ambition to build stronger and more prosperous economies. Deepening our trade relationships with reliable partners will drive growth in Canada with transformational new opportunities for our industries and high-paying careers for our workers.”
— The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

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