Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to attend a Commonwealth meeting in Antigua and Barbuda starting Monday, including events hosted by King Charles.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to travel to Antigua and Barbuda on Monday for meetings with heads of government from other Commonwealth countries, as well as engagements with King Charles.
Experts said the gathering offers Carney an opportunity to broaden relationships with a wide range of member states while also focusing on issues expected to dominate discussions. Retired Canadian diplomat Patricia Fortier said the week involves representatives from “Fifty-six countries, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, North America, Indo-Pacific,” calling it “like a diplomatic feast.”
Fortier said the Commonwealth’s broad membership can matter for Canada when building multilateral initiatives, noting that multilateral organizations like the United Nations give each country one vote regardless of size. “If you're trying to move things through a multilateral organization, it is very, very important that you pay attention to smaller states,” she said.
Carleton University associate professor Michael Manulak said Canada has used that kind of approach in the past, including when Lester Pearson led Canada and in the 1980s. He said Commonwealth ties were one of the “core constituencies” Canada operated on, especially in relations with many African and Caribbean countries.
Manulak said trade and investment are expected to be the top issues at the gathering, and he pointed to Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Botchwey pushing for discussion on reducing trade barriers since taking the role in 2025.
The agenda described in government briefings indicates the meeting will also address resilience and mitigation related to climate change, a priority for smaller island states facing rising seas. Fortier said climate-related discussions are likely because “many of these smaller states are islands and are most affected by climate change.”
Sanders, Antigua’s high commissioner to Canada, said the Commonwealth was also where early discussions about climate change began, and cited collective action on major issues in the past, including efforts to help end apartheid in South Africa.
The modern Commonwealth was established in 1949 and brings together countries with ties to the British Empire, representing a large share of the world’s population, according to Manulak. He said the group is now “a consensual association,” and described it as a platform that can complement bilateral relationships with countries Canada may not engage with day to day.
Carney is expected to spend just one day at the gathering, including a lunch hosted by the King for new leaders in the Commonwealth and a formal dinner also hosted by the King, along with executive sessions and other meetings. Officials said he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings, but they declined to say in advance who he will meet.
The evidence provided says Sanders expects Carney to meet with Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who plans to propose a bilateral agreement with Canada that could include “joint ventures and activities that promote economic growth and create commercial opportunities for Canadian enterprises.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is also scheduled to join Carney. She said Canada “supports practical Commonwealth initiatives that strengthen supply chains and improve market access, that advance trade diversification,” adding that the Commonwealth has “ambitious targets” to increase trade among member countries to $2 trillion by 2030.
Officials said the meeting’s briefing also highlighted regional security and climate action, with a working breakfast scheduled before the opening ceremony on Tuesday. Fortier said the Caribbean and Canada have a “special relationship,” shaped by shared British colonial heritage and trade links, including through the maritime provinces.
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