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Carney visits Saudi Arabia in first Canadian prime ministerial trip in 26 years, launches investment pact talks
Prime Minister Mark Carney traveled to Jeddah on July 8 and 9, 2026, for the first official visit to Saudi Arabia by a Canadian prime minister in 26 years. Carney met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and addressed the Saudi Arabia-Canada Investment Forum, participating in a signing ceremony. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu announced that Canada and Saudi Arabia agreed to launch negotiations for a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, with an eventual free trade agreement as the long-term goal. The two sides identified opportunities in clean technology, agriculture, life sciences, health care, energy, tourism, education, and critical minerals, with Saudi Arabia seeking to develop mining as a second economic pillar alongside oil. Canada-Saudi relations had cooled sharply after a 2018 dispute in which Canada's criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record led both countries to withdraw their ambassadors; ambassadors were restored in 2023.
Alberta
Meta to build $13-billion AI data centre in Sturgeon County in its first major Canadian facility
Meta announced on July 8, 2026 at the Calgary Stampede that it will invest more than $13 billion to build an artificial intelligence data centre in Sturgeon County, north of Edmonton, its first major data centre in Canada. The one-gigawatt campus will cover 1,750 acres and is expected to employ more than 3,000 construction workers at peak, with over 300 permanent positions once operational in two to three years. Capital Power signed an energy supply agreement with Meta covering 250 megawatts of electricity for more than 10 years. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the province's power generation capacity and cool climate make it an ideal location for data centres. The facility will use a closed-loop water cooling system and will not draw water from the surrounding area.
NATO
Ankara Declaration sets 5% GDP defence target and €70-billion Ukraine pledge
Leaders of all 32 NATO member states endorsed the Ankara Declaration on July 8, 2026, at the close of a two-day summit hosted by Turkey. The declaration commits every ally to reach 5 per cent of gross domestic product in combined defence and security spending by 2035, broken into at least 3.5 per cent for core military requirements and up to 1.5 per cent for defence-related spending including infrastructure and industrial capacity. European allies and Canada pledged to provide Ukraine with at least 70 billion euros in military assistance each year in 2026 and 2027. The text labels Russia a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and stability and reaffirms the Article 5 collective-defence commitment. Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed at a press conference that Canada is meeting the 2 per cent of GDP spending target and that Canadian defence spending will continue to grow. Allies issued a short focused declaration rather than the traditional multi-paragraph communique. On the summit sidelines, Carney also met briefly with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to manage diplomatic fallout from Canada's decision to select Germany's TKMS over South Korea's Hanwha Ocean for the Royal Canadian Navy submarine contract.
Senate
Carney names principal secretary and Conservative MP to Senate, drops non-partisanship rule for appointments
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced four Senate appointments on July 7, 2026, and reversed the Trudeau-era requirement that senators demonstrate non-partisanship. Carney named his principal secretary Tom Pitfield, a longtime Liberal strategist who advised him on artificial intelligence and the digital economy, to a Quebec Senate seat. Conservative MP Richard Martel, who represented Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, also received a Senate appointment, vacating his riding and joining the upper chamber as an independent senator. New Brunswick cancer researcher Dr. Rodney Ouellette and Manitoba chartered professional accountant Geeta Tucker complete the four appointments. Carney said removing the non-partisanship criterion reflects that people with elected and partisan experience bring knowledge of governance and the legislative process to the Senate. The same day, Liberal backbencher Nate Erskine-Smith formally resigned his Beaches-East York seat, adding a second Ontario vacancy alongside pending byelections in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord and North Vancouver-Capilano.
Next electionOctober 5, 2026In ~3 months
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