Carney Ends Five-Year Saudi Freeze With Mining Investment Push

Prime Minister Mark Carney met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday as part of a carefully signalled pivot away from the 2018 diplomatic rupture under Justin Trudeau. Saudi Arabia shuttered trade ties after Canada criticized its justice system and women's rights record. Ambassadors returned in 2023, but Carney's presence—alongside Finance and Defence ministers—signals an acceleration. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is resolving tax and investment-protection barriers as Saudi Arabia pursues mining as its "second pillar" economy beyond oil.