Bilateral Relations between Türkiye and Canada

The establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Canada goes back to 1943. In June 1943, Türkiye conveyed to Canada its desire to open an Embassy in Ottawa. Canada responded favorably, and the first Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Mehmet Ali Şevki Ilhan, presented his credentials on 6 March 1944. His counterpart, Major General Victor W. Odlum, presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Türkiye on 26 November 1947, becoming the first Canadian Ambassador to Türkiye.

Türkiye and Canada are both members of NATO, OSCE, OECD and the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) in the UN as well as the G20.

Cooperation within the framework of NATO, developments in Ukraine, Syria, Caucasus, and the fight against terrorism constitute the most significant dimensions of bilateral relations. More recently, issues related to defense industry cooperation have also come to the forefront of the bilateral agenda. The Canadian government’s position and the resolutions adopted by both Chambers of the Canadian Parliament regarding the events of 1915 adversely affect Turkish-Canadian relations.

Parliamentary Relations between Türkiye and Canada

Inter-parliamentary Friendship Groups were established in both countries. The Canadian side of the Friendship Group was initiated in June 1996. On the other hand, the Turkish side to the Turkish-Canadian Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group was initiated on 5 January 2012. In the 28 ^th Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Halit Yerebakan (Justice and Development Party-Istanbul) serves as the Chairman of Türkiye-Canada Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. The Co-Chairs of the Canada-Türkiye Friendship Group in the Canadian Parliament are Member of Parliament Julie Dzerowicz (Liberal-Davenport) and Senator Mobina Jaffer (Independent-British Columbia).

Economic Relations between Türkiye and Canada

The bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Canada, which was 2.76 billion U.S. Dollars in 2021, increased to 3.22 billion USD in 2022, and reached 2.76 billion USD in November 2023.

On 8 June 2019, Türkiye and Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), with an aim of expanding bilateral trade and investment opportunities. The first JETCO meeting was held on 13-14 November 2019 in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines has direct flights to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In 2021, 72,034 Canadian tourists visited Türkiye. This number increased to 197,416 in 2022.

More than 77,000 Turkish citizens live in Canada, almost 16,000 of whom are dual citizens. It is estimated that, when those who are not registered with our Consulates-General are included, the total number of Turkish citizens across Canada may reach around 110,000. The majority of the Turkish-Canadian community is concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Edmonton.