Canada advancing its 'middle power' strategy with new trade deals, Anand says

Canada ​is making rapid progress in diversifying its trade and security ties around the world with a goal of doubling its non-US trade in the next decade, Foreign Minister Anita ‌Anand said on Saturday, as Ottawa emphasizes trust in building new relationships outside North America.

Anand spoke with Reuters on the sidelines of a US-hosted meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 major economies, where the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exposed ‌deep rifts troubling the grouping. A critic of Lavrov's participation, Anand said the meeting helped to illustrate the transformed, ‌ruptured nature of the international order, and underscored the need for new approaches, groupings, alliances and partnerships.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to double Canada's non-US trade over the next decade as President Donald Trump's tariffs have rippled through Canada's economy. Canada's subsequent efforts to reach a deal with Washington have ⁠broken down, ​driving Carney's government to aggressively pursue ⁠trade pacts with countries from the Asia Pacific to Europe and Middle East.

"This is our middle power diplomacy," Anand told Reuters, citing Canada's work with ⁠Nordic countries on Arctic safety and security in the face of growing Russian threats, and its efforts to protect citizens' privacy in the ​rapidly advancing area of AI and innovation, together with India and Australia. Canada was also working to expand its ⁠ties to the European Union, she said, citing a new national security strategy released earlier in the week that puts a major focus on critical minerals, energy ⁠and ​food security.

"Canada is coming to the table to ensure that ... there are, if necessary, new bodies, new groupings, new alliances and partnerships in order to address the crises of the day," she said. Ottawa had forged 20 new security and ⁠trade agreements with countries and parties all over the world, giving it access to 1.5 billion consumers in more than 51 ⁠countries, and the push for expanded ⁠trade ties outside the US would continue.

She said Canada was the only Group of Seven country that had free trade agreements with every other G7 country, and expected to conclude ‌a similar trade ‌deal with ASEAN before the end of the year.