Qatari Emir Visits Canada to Further Relations

 By Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian

 Qatar, home of Al-Jazeera, host of soccer’s 2022 World Cup, and wealth beyond measure. And everyone’s favourite centre for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

Even before the Gaza war began, there was an upswing of commentary celebrating a shift in the policies and behavior of Qatar, away from promoting and subsidizing radical groups, and towards moderation. 

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the country’s emir, has been basking in the glow of international approval, depicting the country as a global influencer and peacemaker. The Qataris want to make themselves diplomatically indispensable. 

This is all part of Doha’s ongoing attempts to craft a rebranding of the country as a moderating actor in the Middle East and beyond, a task aided by university centres and departments which are recipients of Qatari money.

The emir and other officials spent two days in Canada Sept. 17-19, meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet ministers. The Gaza war was on the agenda, of course. Indeed, Jewish-Canadian leaders urged Trudeau to criticize him over his patronage of Hamas. But being able to tap into Qatar’s wealth via business and trade was more likely on Trudeau’s mind.

Qatar has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, at $110,000 a year. And while its total population is some 2.7 million, most of these are guest workers, including European lawyers and consultants at the top of the scale, and at the bottom South Asian labourers. Only some 313,000 are native Qataris, the ones who benefit from the riches it derives from the sale of oil and gas.

The Peninsula, an English language daily newspaper published in Doha, ran an article on the occasion of the emir’s visit by noting the expanding trade and investment cooperation between Canada and Qatar, especially with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June between the Qatar Financial Center and the Canada Arab Business Council, a non-profit organization that aims to enhance trade and investment relations between Canada and the Arab world. 

The MoU “aims to establish an integrated framework for cooperation and coordination in specific sectors through joint initiatives and the exchange of information and expertise, with a focus on stimulating growth and promoting innovation in areas such as financial services and professional business services.” Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development participated in a signing ceremony with Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation.

Canada and Qatar share a mutual interest in fostering economic relations, given that Qatar is Canada’s third largest trading partner in the Arab Gulf region and the eleventh largest in the Arab world.

More than 9,000 Canadian expatriates live in Qatar, working in Canadian and Qatari companies and institutions, including major Canadian corporations like Bombardier, SNC-Lavalin, and CAE.

From January to July, Canada exported goods valued at $103.45 million to Qatar, while Qatar’s exports to Canada amounted to $90.27 million. Canadian exports consist of metals, machinery, aircraft equipment, and grains, while Qatari exports to Canada comprise chemical products, fertilizers, raw aluminum, fuel extracts, and oils.

Qatar Energy has entered into two agreements with ExxonMobil Canada to obtain liquified natural gas (LNG) exploration licenses in the waters near Newfoundland and Labrador

There is also a partnership in academic programs, as the University of Calgary has had a campus in Doha since 2006, offering a Bachelor of Nursing program. The College of the North Atlantic has been transformed into the University of Doha for Science and Technology.

Furthermore, an MOU between Qatar University and Dalhousie University has formalized collaboration in the field of ocean sciences and cooperation in the development of research and training opportunities. Furthermore, there are several Doha-based schools that offer Canadian curricula. 

In their meeting, Sheikh Tamim expressed his aspiration to work with Trudeau to advance their bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors in order to “contribute to enhancing regional and global peace and stability.”

Bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed, especially in the fields of investment, economy and international cooperation, “in addition to developments and situations in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.” Qatar has certainly been very successful in its efforts to shape public opinion in Canada.