Prime Minister Mark Carney is preparing for another round of international travel that will see him visit the United Arab Emirates and South Africa later this month, continuing a pattern of extensive foreign engagement during his first eight months in office.
Upcoming Diplomatic Missions
According to an official statement released Wednesday by the Prime Minister's Office, Carney will first travel to Abu Dhabi where he will meet with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The discussions aim to strengthen the Canada-UAE economic partnership across several key sectors including energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.
During his UAE visit, the Prime Minister will also engage with business executives and investors to enhance market access for Canadian exporters and attract private capital for developing Canada's export infrastructure. This marks Carney's first official visit to the United Arab Emirates as prime minister.
G20 Summit in South Africa
Following his Middle East engagement, Carney will travel to Johannesburg for the G20 Leader's Summit, representing the first time this important international gathering has been hosted on the African continent. The Prime Minister's Office emphasized that Carney will use this platform to increase investment and trade relationships with Canada.
At the summit, the Prime Minister will focus on deepening Canada's partnerships in energy, trade, and defence, building on progress achieved during Canada's G7 Presidency earlier this year. The PMO statement highlighted Canada's competitive advantages in natural resources, agriculture, critical minerals, nuclear energy, and advanced technologies as key selling points for international investment.
Extensive Travel Record
Data compiled from publicly available flight trackers reveals the substantial travel commitments Carney has undertaken since becoming prime minister. In his first eight months, he has embarked on 28 separate trips comprising 68 individual flights, covering a total distance of 152,790 kilometers.
This remarkable travel distance is equivalent to nearly four trips around the Earth's circumference. These figures do not include a privately chartered flight taken in October for Carney to attend the Israel-Hamas peace accords signing in Egypt, an unusual arrangement necessitated by unavailable Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft.
The tracking data also excludes travel planned for this week, which includes a Wednesday afternoon flight to Vancouver. Carney's travel patterns have drawn attention given his predecessor Justin Trudeau's own extensive use of government aircraft. During the summer of 2024 alone, Trudeau logged approximately 92,000 kilometers of air travel over three months.
For domestic travel, the Prime Minister utilizes a fleet of Bombardier Challenger 650 business jets operated by 412 Transport Squadron based at Ottawa's airport. International flights are handled by 437 Transport Squadron using newly acquired CC-330 Husky aircraft, which are military versions of Airbus A330-200 airliners that replaced older CC-150 Polaris transport planes.
The upcoming visits to UAE and South Africa represent significant trade opportunities for Canada. Two-way trade with the UAE reached approximately $3.4 billion in 2024, with Canadian exports accounting for $2.6 billion of that total. Trade with South Africa totaled just under $3 billion last year, indicating substantial potential for growth in both relationships.
