Carney’s 2026 travel plans in search of trade

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Mark Carney has been circling the globe on government aircraft since becoming prime minister — part of his efforts to secure new trade links and investment to double non-U.S. exports in the next decade.

In just the first month of this year, he visited France, China, Qatar and Switzerland.

The Prime Minister’s Office seldom confirms trips months in advance, and summit plans may change given the current geopolitical tumult. But here’s a look at the places Carney could be headed this year:

India

Carney is likely to visit New Delhi next month.

His office said last fall that he had accepted an invitation to visit India in early 2026.

India’s High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik told The Canadian Press last October that the invitation was to attend a major artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi set for Feb. 19 and 20. Patnaik has since said the trip will take place in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, experts on Ottawa’s ties with Oceania say they’ve been consulted about a possible visit to Australia, which might take place as part of the India trip. The experts did not want to be identified because the trip has not been confirmed.

The Canadian Press has asked if an Australia trip is in the works. The PMO has declined to confirm any travel that has not been formally announced.

“Additional details about the prime minister’s upcoming international engagements will follow,” wrote spokesperson Laura Scaffidi. “By forging new partnerships around the world, we will diversify trade, build a stronger, more independent Canadian economy, and secure more opportunities for Canadians.”

While Australia is a priority country in Ottawa’s Indo-Pacific strategy, no Canadian prime minister has visited there since 2014. Carney said last March that Canada would be buying an Australian radar system for use in the Arctic.

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said earlier this month that Carney accepted an invitation to come to his country in April to discuss trade.

Carney’s office has not confirmed the trip. Brazil previously stated Carney had agreed to attend last fall’s COP summit on climate change — he didn’t.

Carney has stepped up trade talks on a deal with the Mercosur bloc of South American nations that includes Brazil.

G7 in France

France rescheduled its summit by one day following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump already had plans to attend a mixed martial arts event on his birthday at the White House.

The summit is now set for June 15 to 17 in the Alpine town of Évian-les-Bains, known for its mineral water.

Canadian prime ministers are widely expected to attend summits of the G7, G20 and NATO.

NATO in Turkiye

The country, which prefers to go by Türkiye, is hosting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders’ summit in the capital of Ankara from July 7 to 8.

The meeting takes place as Canada partners with European countries to ramp up defence spending as Trump pulls back on his support for the alliance — and after he mulled using force against NATO member Denmark to take control of Greenland.

UN in New York

The United Nations General Assembly will kick off high-level meetings on Sept. 22, which likely would see Carney meeting with other leaders and possibly addressing global leaders from the green marble podium.

Commonwealth in the Caribbean

The island nation of Antigua and Barbuda says it will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Nov. 1-4.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau did not attend the last summit in 2024, which was hosted by Samoa. The site of this year’s summit is much closer and Carney is known to have a fondness for many things British.

China — and perhaps the Philippines and Cambodia

During his visit to Beijing this month, Carney confirmed he’ll return to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders’ summit in the city of Shenzhen from Nov. 18 to 19.

Carney has not confirmed attending two other summits, which are happening nearby and frequently include the Canadian prime minister.

The Philippines government has confirmed it is hosting the leaders’ summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations in Pasay City, just outside Manila, from Nov. 10 to 12. Carney said last fall that Canada and the ASEAN bloc plan to finalize a trade deal before that summit.

Cambodia is set to host the Francophonie summit in the tourism hub of Siem Reap. Local media have suggested the summit is scheduled for Nov. 14 to 16.

Trump’s G20 in Miami

U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome leaders to Miami on Dec. 14 to 15 for the G20 summit, after boycotting last fall’s meeting in Johannesburg.

The invitation list isn’t final yet. South Africa could be snubbed for going against Trump’s wishes by releasing a joint communique during Washington’s boycott based on three themes he rejects: equality, sustainability and solidarity.

The summit will take place just over an hour’s drive from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Experts will be watching to see which experts, institutions and guest nations Trump invites as he pushes back on multilateral institutions like the United Nations.

Japan

Ottawa has said repeatedly that Japan is a major priority country for Canada, and officials briefing reporters on Carney’s trip to Asia last October said he almost certainly would have visited Tokyo if Japan had not been in the process of choosing a new prime minister at that time.

Japan is now heading into a snap election, set for Feb. 8.

Dominican Republic

The Summit of the Americas was set for last December in Punta Cana, but the Dominican Republic suddenly postponed the event a month before it was set to start. The government says it will take place in 2026, but analysts fear it might not take place at all due to disruption in the Western Hemisphere.

The organizers had announced that they would not invite the leaders of three countries Trump has had conflicts with — Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — which prompted talk of boycotts by other nations.

Since then, the United States’ armed capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rattled the region.

Canada’s prime minister has attended all nine of these summits, which take place roughly every four years.

Ukraine

Carney visited Kyiv last August; as usual, that visit was not made public in advance due to security concerns. Trudeau had visited Ukraine once a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press