Carney to travel to Qatar next week alongside trips to China, Switzerland

Prime Minister Mark Carney boards a government plane in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Doha, Qatar on Jan. 18 for a bilateral visit as he seeks to broaden trade relations and drum up foreign investment.

It’s part of a broader diplomatic trip that will include stops in China and Switzerland, and Carney’s office says he will be the first sitting Canadian prime minister to visit the middle eastern country.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirms Carney will meet with Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, along with various business officials and investors.

The office says Carney is seeking to create new partnerships in areas such as artificial intelligence, infrastructure, energy and security.

Carney will make the stop in Qatar after visiting Beijing for several days, and ahead of jetting off to Davos, Switzerland, where he will attend the World Economic Forum from Jan. 19 to 21.

The prime minister is set to meet with President Xi Jinping next week during the first official trip to China by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press