Carney to meet Saudi crown prince as Canada pursues closer ties

CTV News' political commentator Scott Reid discusses Carney's Europe trip, G7 priorities, trade tensions and the possibility of talks with Trump.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet next week with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, but federal officials would not say whether the prime minister plans to raise human rights concerns during the visit.

At a background briefing ahead of the trip, officials would only point to Carney’s past comments on the issue.

“The Prime Minister has been clear that we must be able to address these areas of disagreement without destabilizing opportunities for co-operation,” one official said. “He’s been clear that engagement does not equal endorsement.”

Canada and Saudi Arabia have gradually normalized relations since 2023 after a five-year diplomatic rift triggered by the Trudeau government’s criticism of the kingdom’s human rights record.

In 2018, then-foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland called on Saudi Arabia through social media posts to immediately release jailed human rights activists, including Samar Badawi, who had campaigned against the kingdom’s former male guardianship system. Badawi was released from prison in 2021.

Saudi Arabia condemned Freeland’s comments as interference in its domestic affairs, expelled Canada’s ambassador from Riyadh and ordered thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada to transfer elsewhere.

Some analysts support Ottawa’s renewed engagement with Saudi Arabia, viewing the trip — the first by a Canadian prime minister in 26 years — as an opportunity to strengthen ties with a key partner in the Persian Gulf.

“It’s a very important trip in terms of the diversification of Canada’s relationships around the world,” said Arif Lalani, a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

“I think Canada’s diplomacy on human rights in Saudi Arabia in the past has been very badly executed. We have human rights problems with countries and allies around the world, and we’ve been able to do more than one thing at once. More than ever, Canada needs to be able to have complicated and complex relationships.”

Human rights organizations, however, are urging Carney to raise concerns about political prisoners and civil liberties directly with Saudi leaders during the visit.