In a recent development, Chile and Canada have announced the successful signing of the strategic partnership agreement modernization, which renews the terms of their longstanding relationship. The new agreement modernizes the 2023 partnership by adding four new pillars in addition to trade, focusing on 21st-century challenges of mutual interest: gender equality, climate change, critical minerals, and Indigenous people. “The modernization of the Strategic Partnership between Canada and Chile reflects the evolution of our societies’ priorities and is a blueprint for future-oriented cooperation between our nations,” said van Klaveren.
Prime Minister Trudeau and President Boric met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea and led the official discussions around the modernization, which were concluded in a subsequent meeting between the two Ministers of Foreign Affairs. In a press conference following the bilateral signing ceremony, both Prime Minister Trudeau and President Boric described the modernization of the agreement as a confirmation of Chile and Canada’s historical alliance, as well as a more pointed effort to refocus their shared goals to better address global and local challenges of the present day. The two leaders’ speeches and the official Joint Declaration identified core areas of similarity in Chile and Canada’s approach to international affairs, emphasizing democracy, environmental stewardship, and economic modernization as defining characteristics of both states. The original Partnership for Prosperity and Growth was first signed in 2007, and modernized this year, to enhance bilateral trade and investment relations. However, in its new version, the modernized agreement seeks to deepen and widen the relationship, incorporating a more comprehensive and globally oriented agenda for cooperation.
The Agreement Modernization Expands on the Original Framework
Notably, while trade and investment continue to serve as the foundation for Chile and Canada’s bilateral relations, the modernized agreement includes areas of collaboration beyond the economic, emphasizing the intertwined nature of social, environmental, and economic policies. As van Klaveren said in his opening remarks, the new Framework Agreement for Strategic Partnership “addresses our societies’ evolving priorities” with a joint commitment to implementing free, fair, and rules-based trade in a globalized, climate-constrained world. The inclusion of a pillar on gender equality signals both governments’ shared interest in ensuring women’s full participation and leadership at home and abroad, as well as the equitable application of national and international policy. Climate change and polar affairs, as well as Chilean and Canadian Arctic collaboration, are also central to the agreement, reflecting the existential nature of environmental and climate policy for both states and their citizens. Chile and Canada have ambitious goals and significant capabilities in the sustainable development and processing of critical minerals, a pillar that directly links the other three in the modernized agreement and to the broader 21st-century challenges. Both states have long been leaders in mining for copper, lithium, nickel, and other minerals key to the global transition to renewables, and are taking steps to ensure the sector remains sustainable, safe, and productive in the long term.
Canadian Investment and Chilean Exports
For two decades, Chile and Canada have steadily expanded bilateral trade and investment, which has served to strengthen both economies and create business and employment opportunities in each country. The latest data from Global Affairs Canada and Chile’s Ministerio de Hacienda indicate that total trade between the two nations exceeded CAN$2 billion in 2025, making Canada Chile’s single largest foreign investor. Notably, as in many other countries, mining represents the majority of Canadian investment stock in Chile, with active participation in the energy, infrastructure, and technology sectors as well. In van Klaveren’s press statement, he reaffirmed Canada’s key role in Chile’s economic modernization over the past two decades, bringing not just capital, but technology and high-value-added knowledge transfer. Canada remains the most important trade and investment partner for Chile in the mining sector, with active engagement in exploration, extraction, and innovation in processing and technological applications for Chile’s vast copper, lithium, and other critical mineral resources. As part of the modernization, Chile and Canada have committed to greater regulatory alignment and standardization on issues that directly impact the sector, such as climate change, environmental impact, and social inclusion, in particular Indigenous collaboration and cooperation. This cooperation has not yet been finalized, but it is to include not just dialogue but shared action plans and joint initiatives, with the understanding that foreign investment will support not extractive exploitation but rather responsible stewardship of natural resources.
Joint Action on Climate Change and Energy Transition
Prime Minister Carney made it a point to underscore the particular significance of strengthening cooperation on critical minerals, clean energy, wildfire management, and digital technologies. In other words, Canada and Chile have an opportunity, in both bilateral and multilateral settings, to not only speak but act together to the benefit of their own peoples and the world at large. Canada has supported Chile’s efforts to diversify its economy in the past, and this new version of the agreement is built on that model of mutually beneficial long-term cooperation. The two countries plan to establish closer working relationships with governments, private enterprises, and educational and research institutions with the goal of developing new initiatives on lithium extraction, battery manufacturing, and renewable energy systems, all of which are in high demand on the global market. These initiatives are all already in Canada’s national critical minerals strategy, which highlights international cooperation, responsible sourcing, green innovation, and productivity as the four central pillars to guide the sector’s development over the coming years. Prime Minister Carney also emphasized the importance of cooperation in wildfire management and prevention, an area where both countries are deeply interested and increasingly active as climate change takes its toll.
Cultural Exchange and Social Inclusion
Beyond the more technocratic aspects of the modernized agreement, Chile and Canada have also signaled their commitment to joint action in the area of social inclusion and cultural exchange. Indigenous cooperation is a separate pillar of the new Strategic Partnership, demonstrating the importance the two governments give to promoting and protecting Indigenous peoples and their rights. Canada’s decades-long national reconciliation process provides a potential model for Chile, where government and Indigenous groups continue to discuss autonomy, land rights, and cultural preservation. Joint programs to support education, sustainable development, and local governance could open new channels of communication and best-practice sharing between Indigenous peoples in Canada and Chile. Finally, the gender equality pillar of the modernized agreement dovetails with ongoing domestic policies in Chile that aim to create equal opportunities for women in business, government, and society in general. Both governments have committed to encouraging women’s participation in science, technology, and business leadership, as well as in foreign service and diplomacy, as a priority for building a better future for all.