CTV News in Saudi Arabia: Canada raises human rights concerns as PM Carney visits kingdom

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she raised human rights concerns and specific consular cases involving Canadian citizens during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Jeddah on Thursday, as Prime Minister Mark Carney pursued a multi-faceted partnership with the kingdom that includes energy, defence and education components.

"I raised human rights concerns and specific consular cases involving Canadian citizens during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Jeddah on Thursday," Anand said, signaling Ottawa’s intention to press rights issues even as it deepens economic and strategic ties with Riyadh.

The visit by Prime Minister Carney centered on formalizing a broad agreement described by the government as an investment partnership. Details disclosed during the trip indicate Canada and Saudi Arabia signed deals covering energy, defence and education cooperation. Canadian national symbols marked the outreach: "O Canada" was reportedly played in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 26 years, underscoring the ceremonial significance of the visit.

• Senior officials said the agreements are intended to expand trade and collaboration across multiple sectors, with energy and defence among the headline areas.
• Carney framed the approach as pragmatic engagement rather than moral endorsement, telling audiences that "Engagement is not endorsement" in relation to the Saudi deal.
• He also defended the strategy of direct diplomacy, saying "lecturing countries from afar" is an "ineffective strategy," a line he has used to justify face-to-face engagement with governments whose rights records draw criticism.

Despite the diplomatic and economic momentum, the prime minister's visit prompted criticism from human rights advocates and opposition figures who cautioned that closer ties risk appearing to sideline human rights concerns. Anand’s public remarks about raising consular files and rights issues appear aimed at balancing that critique with a commitment to protect Canadian citizens and press for human-rights progress.

Officials described the bilateral discussions as substantive. While no precise financial figures for the investment partnership were disclosed in the public remarks accompanying the trip, government messaging emphasized the potential economic benefits and the expansion of educational and defence cooperation. Observers noted the symbolic nature of restoring Canadian anthems and ceremonies after a 26-year absence as a marker of renewed diplomatic warmth.

Critics have argued that agreements touching energy and defence are particularly sensitive given longstanding concerns about governance and civil liberties in the kingdom; supporters counter that practical cooperation creates channels to press Riyadh on rights and consular matters more effectively than isolation would.

Looking ahead, Ottawa faces a delicate balancing act: implementing and publicizing the specifics of the investment and sectoral deals while demonstrating that human rights and individual consular cases remain central to bilateral talks. Anand’s statement following the meeting sets the expectation that Canada will continue to raise those issues directly with Saudi counterparts as implementation of the partnership proceeds.