Canada–Lebanon relations refers to the

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. Canada is home to one of the largest Lebanese diaspora communities. Both nations are members of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

History

The first Lebanese migration to Canada took place in 1882 when Lebanon was still part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

.Arab Canadians
/ref> In 1946, soon after obtaining independence from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Lebanon opened a consulate in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. In 1949, the consulate was upgraded to a consulate-general. In 1954, Canada recognized and established diplomatic relations with Lebanon. In 1958, both nations opened embassies in each other's capitals, respectively. Between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon entered into a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

between various religious factions in the country. In 1985 Canada closed its embassy in Beirut. During the war, Canada received thousands of Lebanese refugees which made Lebanon the largest Arab diaspora community in Canada. Canada re-opened its embassy in Beirut in 1995. There are approximately 190,000 Canadians of Lebanese descent in Canada and 45,000 Canadians residing in Lebanon. The evacuation in 2006 during the Israel–Hezbollah War of Canadians from Lebanon was the largest in Canada's history and spoke of the importance of this diaspora community. Since 2016, Canada has contributed almost US$250 million to support Lebanon's stability and resilience as it copes with hosting the more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees that have been added to the country's already existing refugee population, which also includes Palestinians, Iraqis and Kurds. Canada has increased its diplomatic presence in Lebanon, also in response to the crisis.Canada-Lebanon relations
/ref>

High-level visits

Prime Ministerial visits from Canada to Lebanon * Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (2002) Prime Ministerial and Presidential visits from Lebanon to Canada * President

Amine Gemayel Amine Pierre Gemayel ( ar, أمين بيار الجميٌل ; (born 22 January 1942) is a Lebanese Maronite politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. Born in Bikfaya, his father was Pierre Gemayel, the founder of the K ...

(1987) * Prime Minister

Rafik Hariri Rafik is the given name of: * Rafik Al-Hariri (1944–2005), business tycoon, former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Rafik Bouderbal (born 1987), French-born Algerian player currently playing for ES Sétif in the Algerian Championnat National * Rafik ...

(1997) * President

Émile Lahoud Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 16th president of Lebanon from 1998 to 2007. His main foreign-policy achievement was to end the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon in May 2000, which was ...

(1999) * President

Michel Sleiman Michel Suleiman ( ar, ميشال سليمان ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese Maronite Christian politician who served as President of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Force ...

(2008)

Bilateral relations

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (1997); Air Transport Agreement (1998) and a Memorandum of Understanding Agreement (2013) to strengthen trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Trade

In 2018, total trade between Canada and Lebanon totaled US$150 million. Canada's main exports to Lebanon include: vehicle parts, agri-foods (in particular wheat and legumes), pharmaceuticals and other industrial and consumer goods. Lebanon's main exports to Canada include: preserved food, beverages, coffee and spices, olive oil and sugar and confectionery.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Canada has an embassy in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. * Lebanon has an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate-general in

.Embassy of Lebanon in Canada
/ref>

References

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