Relationship dossier
Canada
Egypt
Relationship assessment
Canada–Egypt ties combine investment cooperation with periodic human-rights disputes.
Canada toward Egypt
+20Canada has pursued bilateral economic cooperation with Egypt through an investment-protection agreement. Canadian officials also raised concerns over the detention of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, whose release was secured through an Egyptian pardon in 2015.
Egypt toward Canada
+20Egypt entered into a bilateral investment-protection agreement with Canada. In 2015, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy after Canadian government advocacy.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a practical cooperative foundation in bilateral investment arrangements, alongside recurring friction over human rights and the treatment of Canadian citizens in Egypt. These features indicate a generally functional but not especially close partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Canada and Egypt maintain a longstanding relationship with concrete economic cooperation, including a bilateral investment-protection agreement. Canada has also raised human-rights concerns, including the case of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was pardoned by Egypt in 2015. The relationship combines practical cooperation with periodic political friction.
Areas of tension
- Canadian concerns over human rights in Egypt, including the detention of journalist Mohamed Fahmy.
Key developments
Canada and Egypt concluded a bilateral investment-protection agreement.
Egypt pardoned Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy after Canadian government advocacy.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic cooperation are unclear.
- The current extent of government-to-government cooperation beyond trade and investment is unclear.