Canada and Portugal have friendly bilateral relations, the importance of which center on the history of Portuguese migration to Canada. Canadians of full or partial Portuguese ancestry number approximately 482,000 people.Portuguese Canadians
/ref> Both nations are members of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

, 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

One of the first European explorers to visit Canada was

Gaspar Corte-Real Gaspar Corte-Real (1450–1501) was a Portuguese explorer who, alongside his father João Vaz Corte-Real and brother Miguel, participated in various exploratory voyages sponsored by the Portuguese Crown. These voyages are said to have been some o ...

who explored its Atlantic regions. Some of the earliest Portuguese migrants settled in

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

in the 16th century. Many Portuguese settlers arrived in Canada between 1940 and 1984, with many escaping the dictatorship of

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the r ...

. Most Portuguese migrants settled in and around

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Diplomatic relations between Canada and Portugal were established in January 1952,Bilateral relations between Canada and Portugal
/ref> with both nations opening embassies in their hosts' capitals.Relações Diplomáticas: Canadá (in Portuguese)
/ref> In November 1972, Canada condemned the

Portuguese Colonial War The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...

s in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and in

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...

. In October 1982, Portuguese Prime Minister

Francisco Pinto Balsemão Francisco José Pereira Pinto Balsemão (; born 1 September 1937) is a Portuguese businessman, former journalist and retired politician, who served as Prime Minister of Portugal, from 1981 to 1983. Background He is the son of Henrique Patríci ...

paid an official visit to Canada, the first Portuguese head of government to do so.Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau will visit Portugal at the...
/ref> In November 2010, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Portugal to attend the

2010 Lisbon summit The 2010 Lisbon summit was a meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of NATO held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 19 and 20 November 2010. The member states adopted a new "Strategic Concept", the alliance's new ten-year plan following the ...

.Harper in Portugal to talk about Afghanistan, world security at NATO summit
/ref> In 2018, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa paid an official visit to Canada and met with Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

.Visit to Canada of His Excellency António Costa
/ref> There have been several high-level visits between leaders of the two nations. In 2022, the nations celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations.Canada-Portugal: 70 years of diplomatic relations and many more of friendship
/ref>

High-level visits

High-level visits from Canada to Portugal * Prime Minister Stephen Harper (2010) High-level visits from Portugal to Canada * Foreign Minister Paulo Cunha (1951) * Prime Minister

(1982) * Prime Minister Cavaco Silva (1992) * President

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 a ...

(2001) * Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso (2003) * Prime Minister António Costa (2018)

Bilateral agreements

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements (with the United Kingdom signing some initial agreements on Canada's behalf) such as an Agreement of Mutual Surrender of Fugitive Criminals (1894); Agreement of Cooperation in Legal Proceedings in Civil and Commercial Matters (1935); Trade Agreement (1954); Agreement on Non-Immigrant Visa Arrangements (1958); Agreement on Mutual Fishery Relations (1977); Agreement on Social Security (1981); Agreement on Air transportation (1987); Agreement to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion in terms of income taxes (1999); and an Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (2000).

Transportation

There are direct flights between Canada and Portugal with the following airlines:

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled an ...

Air Transat Air Transat is a Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1986, it is the country's third-largest airline behind Air Canada and WestJet, operating scheduled and charter flights serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. Air Transa ...

Azores Airlines Azores Airlines, previously known as SATA Internacional, is a Portuguese airline based in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel in the autonomous archipelago of the Azores. A subsidiary of SATA Air Açores, the airline ...

and

TAP Air Portugal TAP Air Portugal is the currently state-owned flag carrier airline of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and oper ...

Trade

In 2016, Canada signed a

free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...

with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, of which Portugal is a member. In 2018, bilateral trade between Canada and Portugal totaled $1 billion CAD. Canada's exports to Portugal amounted to $382 million CAD. Oilseeds, aircraft and parts, cereals and leguminous vegetables; were among the leading export goods from Canada to Portugal. Imports from Portugal in 2018 amounted to $635 million. Beverages (wine), apparel, organic chemicals, footwear, furniture, electronics and electrical machinery and equipment were among the leading imports from Portugal to Canada.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Canada has an embassy in Lisbon. * Portugal has an embassy in Ottawa and consulates-general 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 ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

.Embassy of Portugal in Canada
/ref> File:Edifício Victória, Avenida da Liberdade, Lisboa 02.jpg, Building hosting the Embassy of Canada in Lisbon File:Construction, NW corner of University and Dundas, 2016 12 03 -f (31456353685).jpg, Building hosting the Consulate-General of Portugal in Toronto

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada-Portugal relations

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Bilateral relations of Portugal