Saudi Arabia is opening up its economy and its society. Why has Canada been so slow to capitalize on that?

There are galore ways to measurement conscionable however overmuch Saudi Arabia has changed successful caller years. Bumping into Montreal businessman Sruli Richler astatine an past historical tract is 1 of them.

Richler is an observant Jew, who has a beard and wears a yarmulke nether his shot cap.  

He stopped for a sojourn astatine the country's erstwhile superior Diriyah, conscionable extracurricular Riyadh, which is successful the midst of an immense $63-billion US restoration project. 

Just successful lawsuit the beingness of an overtly Jewish antheral successful the staunchly blimpish Islamic kingdom caused immoderate friction, Richler jokingly pulls retired a "Make America Great Again" headdress from his container — a precaution, helium says, in lawsuit helium wants to blend successful rapidly with the galore U.S. visitors.

But by and large, he says helium was welcomed graciously passim Saudi's capital.

"I honestly thought it would beryllium overmuch much hostile," helium told CBC News successful Riyadh. "Everyone is precise calm and precise relaxed and it was pleasant to bash business."

Richler — a distant relative to the celebrated Canadian writer Mordecai and his writer lad Noah — is successful what helium calls the "reverse logistics" business. That is, his institution finds money-making uses for items radical instrumentality to stores that can't beryllium resold.  

"I'm looking to bash concern successful Saudi. It's an up-and-coming country," helium said, of his reconnaissance trip.

"When you onshore here, you are pleasantly surprised. I judge that erstwhile you bring businesses together, it brings radical together. It's a roadworthy to the future."

Frozen relations

But that's not however galore different Canadians — including elder members of the existent Liberal authorities — have ever viewed the world's second-largest lipid producer.

In 2018, Canada's Global Affairs Department, overseen by then-foreign curate Chrystia Freeland, sent retired a bid of tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia's quality rights grounds and calling for the merchandise of an activistic with ties to Canada. 

An enraged Saudi authorities accused Canada of meddling successful its interior affairs. It expelled Canada's ambassador successful Riyadh and took the antithetic measurement of freezing commercialized links betwixt the 2 countries and ordering thousands of Saudi assemblage students studying successful Canada to instrumentality home. 

Later that aforesaid year, Canada imposed sanctions on 17 Saudis linked to the execution and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent professional of Saudi person Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi was killed wrong the Saudi consulate successful Istanbul.

As the heavy frost successful relations acceptable in, trade, taste and governmental contacts betwixt the 2 countries became casualties.

Things only resumed five years aboriginal successful 2023, erstwhile some sides yet agreed to name caller ambassadors and resume afloat contacts.

Canadian mining enforcement Jeffrey Steiner, who heads up the Canada-Saudi concern council, says helium visited Saudi 28 times implicit a four-year period, successful part to effort to assistance mend fences.

"We truly worked down the scenes and we encouraged some sides to spot what advantages determination are to co-operate. It took a mates of years, but the concern is present precise good," helium said successful an interrogation successful Riyadh.

"We are playing catch-up, but precise rapidly making progress."

In a connection to CBC News, Global Affairs Canada acknowledged the improved situation. 

"Canada is enjoying an progressively steadfast and productive bilateral narration with Saudi Arabia," it said.

On the contented of quality rights, the connection noted that Saudi Arabia participated successful a UN-sponsored reappraisal of its quality rights grounds and that Canada was "pleased" with the collaboration.

"Canada besides welcomes the advancement brought connected by Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, notably the empowerment of women and their expanding information successful nine and the economy."

Vision 2030 is an immense effort by bin Salman to alteration practically each facet of Saudi's nine and its economy, to assistance the kingdom modulation distant from relying truthful heavy connected the accumulation of fossil fuels. 

On the societal side, the alteration has been dramatic.

Many of the onerous restrictions connected women person been removed, and present much than 36 per cent of the workforce is female, with women holding apical jobs successful nationalist corporations and the backstage sector.    

Following the restoration of governmental ties, betwixt February 2024 and February 2025, trade betwixt the 2 nations surged 82 per cent.  

Canada's largest export to Saudi Arabia, valued astatine $1.1 cardinal successful 2023, was armoured vehicles, the bulk of which are LAV armoured cars produced astatine the General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, in London, Ont. 

Saudi's largest export to Canada remains lipid — about $1.5 billion worthy successful 2023, astir of which was refined astatine the elephantine Irving refinery successful Saint John, N.B.

But Canadian proponents accidental existing two-way commercialized represents a fraction of what's possible.

Mining would beryllium "a large area," to develop, says Steiner, who was attending a networking lawsuit successful Riyadh.  

He says determination are besides increasing opportunities for Canadian firms dealing successful wellness care, IT and artificial intelligence.

In his nationalist remarks during Donald Trump's caller sojourn to Saudi, the crown prince underscored that the kingdom's doorway to overseas concern is wide open.

"Today we anticipation for concern opportunities worthy $600 billion. We volition enactment successful the coming months connected the 2nd signifier to implicit deals and rise it to $1 trillion," bin Salman told the audience.

Lacking presence?

But a erstwhile Canadian ambassador to the portion says unless Canada moves faster and much strategically to harness the emerging opportunities successful the portion it risks missing retired — again.

"You're seeing the reordering of the world. And this spot and the portion truly matter," said Arif Lalani, who headed up Canadian embassies successful Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates implicit a agelong career. 

"That's wherefore you are seeing everybody travel present … and increasingly, it's got to substance to Canada."

During Trump's visit, his U.S. entourage included not lone astir of his elder furniture ministers but besides the CEOs of galore of the world's largest corporations. 

Trump made a akin splashy travel to Saudi connected his archetypal authoritative sojourn of his archetypal statesmanlike word successful 2017.

Conversely, the past clip a sitting Canadian premier curate visited Saudi Arabia was Jean Chrétien successful 2000 — a quarter-century ago.

"I deliberation for years and years, Canada has not been contiguous successful this portion astatine a governmental level, astatine a precocious level," said Lalani. 

"The enactment of the state has to amusement that they're down immoderate the diplomats and the concern radical are trying to do."

"Canadians person been missing and I deliberation that that has to alteration if we privation to diversify."

While determination are inactive quality rights issues, the state is unrecognizable from conscionable a fewer years ago, says Canadian governmental idiosyncratic Janice Stein, who was successful Riyadh astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic our CBC visit.

"Canadians request to look astatine the inclination lines successful Saudi Arabia, at what's improving and what is deteriorating," she said.

"If determination is sustained grounds that women ... person acold greater opportunities than past did 5 years ago, that should matter."

She said she believes Saudi Arabia is moving successful the close absorption connected a fig of cardinal indicators.

"To me, that makes the solid fractional afloat alternatively than fractional empty."