Bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

are centred on the history of Hungarian migration to Canada. Approximately 300,000 Canadians have Hungarian ancestry.Hungarian Canadians
/ref> Both nations are members of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

and UN.

History

The first contact between Canada and Hungary was through Hungarian migrants immigrating to Canada in the early 19th century and settling mainly in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and in the

Prairie Provinces The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

. In 1867, Canada became a confederated state and that same year, Hungary joined

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and created the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. Initially, all official contact between Canada and the empire was conducted via-

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In August 1914, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Canada joined British forces and fought together during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At the end of the war in 1918, Hungary became an independent nation. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Canadian and Hungarian troops fought against each other during the

Western Allied invasion of Germany The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Allies of World War II, Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II, European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied ...

. At the end of the war, Hungary became a communist state. Between 1948 and 1952 some 12,000 postwar displaced Hungarians arrived to Canada. As a result of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

, over 30,000 Hungarians left Hungary in 1956 and 1957 and emigrated to Canada which was one of the few countries to receive them. In 1964, Canada and Hungary officially established diplomatic relations and in 1965, Canada sent its first resident ambassador to Hungary.Canadian-Hungary Relations
/ref> In 1989, Hungary became a free and democratic country and in July 1990, occupying Soviet troops left the country. There have also been several high-level visits between both countries. During the 1990s, the Canadian government spent money on advertisements in Hungary in order to dissuade Hungarians from immigrating to Canada. In 2014, Canada and Hungary celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations.

High-level visits

High-level visits from Canada to Hungary * Governor General

Ray Hnatyshyn Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as the 24th governor general of Canada from 1990 to 1995. Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian ...

(1993) * Prime Minister

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

(2004) * Governor General

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office. Jean was the Organisation i ...

(2008) High-level visits from Hungary to Canada * President

Árpád Göncz Árpád Göncz (; 10 February 1922 – 6 October 2015) was a Hungarian writer, translator, lawyer and liberal politician who served as President of Hungary from 2 May 1990 to 4 August 2000. Göncz played a role in the Hungarian Revolution of 19 ...

(1991) * Prime Minister

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

(1999) * President

László Sólyom László Sólyom (, ; 3 January 1942 – 8 October 2023) was a Hungarian politician, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 until 2010. Previously he was the first president of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 199 ...

(2007)

Agreements

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Agreement on the Enhancement and Protection of Foreign Investments (1991), Agreement on the Elimination of Double Taxation (1992), Criminal Legal Aid Treaty (1995), and an Agreement on Aviation (1998).

Trade

In 2018, trade between Canada and Hungary totaled $871 million Canadian dollars.Canadian Trade Commission Service: Hungary - Market Overview
/ref> Canada's main exports to Hungary include: electrical machinery, vehicles, optical and medical equipment and plastics. Hungary's main exports to Canada include: machinery, pharmaceutical products, electrical machinery, vehicles, and optical and medical equipment. Canadian company

Linamar Linamar Corporation (TSX: LNR) is a manufacturing company serving the mobility, access, agriculture, and MedTech industries. The company has three operating segments: Industrial, Mobility, and eLIN. The company has several groups. The eLIN Pr ...

, one of Canada's largest automobile industry suppliers, employs 2,300 workers in Hungary and is expanding its operations in the country. In October 2016, Canada and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(which includes Hungary) signed a free trade agreement known as the "

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA; French: ''accord économique et commercial global'', AECG; German: ''Umfassendes Wirtschafts- und Handelsabkommen'') is a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union and its ...

Resident diplomatic missions

* Canada has an embassy in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. * Hungary has an embassy in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and a consulate-general in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

.Embassy of Hungary in Ottawa
/ref> File:Embassy of Canada Budapest.jpg, Embassy of Canada in Budapest File:Embassy of Hungary, Ottawa.jpg, Embassy of Hungary in Ottawa

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada-Hungary relations