Canada courts deeper ties with Australia as two nations look to diversify beyond U.S.

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The Pacific Rim hotel played host to more than 160 business and political leaders this week for the Australia Canada Economic Leadership Forum in Vancouver.

VANCOUVER – The Pacific Rim hotel played host to more than 160 business and political leaders this week for the Australia Canada Economic Leadership Forum in Vancouver.

It was the 10th time the forum has organized a conference of this size, with the goal of fostering closer business ties between Canada and its Pacific Rim ally — a country Prime Minister Mark Carney has described as Canada’s strategic cousin.

The two countries share a common history and heritage, but in recent years they have also faced a common challenge: an upended world order following U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his administration’s changes to American trade and foreign policies.

For Canada, which has long relied heavily on trade with the United States, the shift in American policy has prompted efforts to pursue new trade and security arrangements.

Evan Solomon, Canada’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, addressed the forum on its second day. He said Australia was a natural partner as Canada looks to diversify its economic relationships beyond the United States.

“We’re living in a moment where we have a geopolitical realignment at the same time as a technological revolution,” he said. “And Australia and Canada are building more resilience in a world where trusted partners need to work more closely together. Whether that is in the mining sector, whether it’s in AI and the tech sector.”

Solomon added: “We need to build more resilient partnerships with countries that we know, we trust, and Australia is one of those countries.”

Trust is a word frequently heard among Canadian and Australian business leaders. Carney also invoked the concept when he addressed Australia’s Parliament earlier in March.

“The world will always be driven by great powers,” Carney said at the time. “But it can also be shaped by middle powers that trust each other and act with speed and purpose. Canada and Australia have demonstrated that trust.”

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