What bilateral or minilateral trade agreements did Canada sign in 2025 and which countries were involved?

1. Canada–Indonesia: a landmark bilateral free-trade deal with ASEAN’s heavyweight

Ottawa signed a comprehensive economic partnership with Indonesia in September 2025 — Canada’s first-ever bilateral trade agreement with an ASEAN country — framed as a game‑changer to open markets and boost investment between the two economies, and it was explicitly presented by the Prime Minister’s office as a centerpiece of Canada’s Indo‑Pacific strategy ^{[1] [4] [2]}. Government messaging emphasized market access gains and business-to-business linkages via parallel memoranda between the Business Council of Canada and Indonesia’s Kadin to drive trade missions and private-sector ties ^[1]. Outside observers noted the strategic intent to diversify away from over‑reliance on the United States amid rising US protectionism, an objective repeated in late‑2025 coverage that placed the Indonesia pact alongside other Asia‑focused moves ^[2].

2. United Arab Emirates: a 2025 bilateral investment treaty and expanded air links

Reporting in December 2025 and roundups of Canada’s year of trade diplomacy say Ottawa secured a bilateral investment treaty with the UAE in 2025 that was packaged with an expanded air‑services pact and framed as part of Ottawa’s push into Middle Eastern markets ^[2]. Business Insider’s coverage places the UAE deal chronologically after the Indonesia CEPA and highlights its role in opening investment channels and connectivity; the government positioned the treaty as an enabler for increased two‑way investment though detailed treaty text and precise effective dates are not provided in those reports ^[2]. The limited public reporting leaves open questions about specific investment protections, dispute‑settlement mechanisms, and the precise commercial commitments embedded in the air‑services component ^[2].

3. Domestic minilateralism: the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the sale of goods

While not an international treaty, 2025 also saw federal, provincial and territorial governments negotiate the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement (CMRA) on the sale of goods — described by provincial and legal sources as the largest set of red‑tape reduction measures in Canada’s history — which will let covered goods lawfully sold in one province be sold in others without duplicative rules and is slated to take effect in December 2025 ^{[5] [3]}. The CMRA is intergovernmental rather than bilateral, but it functions as a minilateral trade‑liberalizing instrument inside Canada and was widely reported as part of Ottawa’s strategy to strengthen domestic supply chains in a turbulent global trade environment ^{[5] [3]}. Official notices and trade‑policy analyses flag that provinces retain carve‑outs and that the agreement does not apply to food, underscoring compromises in its scope ^[5].

4. What was not (clearly) a 2025 bilateral trade signature — China and the context of fast‑moving diplomacy

Several high‑profile trade moves involving China received heavy coverage around the same period, but the most publicized tariff‑slashing détente on EVs and canola was reported by major outlets as occurring in mid‑January 2026 during a Beijing visit, not in 2025, so it should not be counted among 2025 signings without additional corroboration ^{[6] [7] [8]}. Reporting also shows Ottawa navigating intense US‑Canada trade tensions in 2025 — including Canadian protectionist measures and Washington’s tariffs — which helps explain the urgency behind Canada’s 2025 deals with Indonesia and the UAE, but the precise contents and implementation timelines of those 2025 international pacts remain thin in public sources ^{[9] [2]}. Available government and media accounts therefore make clear the headline names and partners for 2025 signings, while leaving granular treaty language and ratification steps incompletely documented in the public reporting reviewed here ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

5. Bottom line and reporting limits

The best-supported list of bilateral/minilateral agreements tied to Canada in 2025 comprises the Canada–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and a bilateral investment treaty with the United Arab Emirates, complemented domestically by the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on sale of goods; independent details on treaty text, legal entry‑into‑force dates and full sectoral coverage were not fully available in the sources reviewed and would require accessing the formal treaty instruments or government depositary notices for verification ^{[1] [2] [5] [3]}.