Canada-Ecuador relations

Bilateral relations

Canada and Ecuador have maintained official bilateral diplomatic relations since 1960. However, our bilateral ties began at the beginning of the 20th century when Canadian railway engineers, mining experts and missionaries worked in Ecuador.

Canada is represented in Ecuador by the Embassy of Canada in Quito and it has an Honorary Consulate in Guayaquil. Ecuador is represented in Canada by the Ecuadorian Embassy in Ottawa, and it has Consulates General in Toronto and Vancouver.

Canada’s immigration processes for Ecuador are managed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s office in Colombia. There is also a Visa Application Centre located in Quito.

Bilateral relations between Canada with Ecuador are governed by shared values, including a commitment to prosperity, democracy, human rights, and an international rules-based system, as well as a vibrant exchange in education.

Education

In recent years, Canada has positioned itself as an attractive destination for Ecuadorian students, with a sustained increase in the number of Ecuadorians who study in Canada each year, becoming the fourth highest Latin American country to send students to Canada. For additional information visit the Facebook page. As of 2009, the Canadian government has fostered the development of human talent through scholarships, such as ELAP (Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program). We continue to strengthen the ties and collaboration between our countries by sharing knowledge, and creating links in the education sector based on new inter-institutional education relations and joint research.

Trade relations

Bilateral trade, measuring $1.3 billion in 2023, a 36% increase from 2021, is a rapidly growing and increasingly prominent dimension within Canada and Ecuador’s bilateral relationship. Commercial relations between Canada and Ecuador are complementary, especially with respect to the majority of trade of agricultural products including tropical fruits, flowers, cacao and seafood to Canada; and, wheat, lentils, and peas to Ecuador. In 2002, the double taxation treaty signed between Canada and Ecuador took effect.

Sectors that the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) has identified as priorities – that is, where Canadian capabilities and interest match local opportunities and demand – are agriculture, clean technology, education, extractives, and infrastructure. Canadian Direct Investment in Ecuador, at $4.4 billion in 2023, has tripled in the last 5 years making Canada the largest foreign investor in Ecuador, largely due to investments in the natural resource development sector.

In November, 2022, Canada and Ecuador announced the launch of exploratory discussions toward a potential Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement.

The Government of Canada also held public consultations from January 6 to February 21, 2023, where Canadians were invited to submit their views on a potential Canada-Ecuador FTA.

Canadians are also invited to share their views on potential environmental and gender - or inclusivity-related risks associated with a Canada–Ecuador FTA in Canada and beyond.

On December 13, 2023, the Hon. Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development tabled in the House of Commons the Government's Notice of Intent to initiate negotiations for a Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement.

Subsequently, on March 19, 2024, the Hon. Mary Ng also tabled in the House of Commons Canada's Objectives for Negotiations for a Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement.

Ecuador joined the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement (GTAGA) on May 15, 2023 as a means to work closely with Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Peru to promote gender responsive trade policies and advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

Ecuador joined the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) on May 15, 2023 in order to work together with ITAG partners (Canada, Chile, Mexico, and New Zealand) to help make international trade policies more inclusive in order to ensure that the benefits of trade and investment are more broadly shared.

The Ecuadorian-Canadian Chambers of Commerce located in Quito and Guayaquil promote commercial and cultural exchange between Ecuador and Canada.

Development

Canada’s international assistance in Ecuador totalled $17.3 million in 2021-2022 and focused on key thematic areas: responding to the Venezuelan migratory crisis; promoting the rights of women, girls, and adolescents, Indigenous Peoples, and the LGBTIQ+ community; protecting the environment and biodiversity through climate action.

Canada is committed to supporting efforts in Ecuador and across the region to respond to the impacts of the Venezuela political and migration crisis. Canada has provided humanitarian and development assistance to help facilitate access to quality education, sexual and reproductive health and employment opportunities for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, as well as vulnerable populations and host communities in Ecuador. Canada also supports the advancement of inclusive migration-related policies and the prevention of criminal activity linked to the exploitation of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Ecuador.

Canada is committed to strengthening democracy in areas such as political participation, open government, Government-Indigenous Peoples dialogue and the fight against gender violence. Since 2015, we have been supporting training for Ecuador’s civil society regarding Open Government. In 2019, Ecuador became part of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a tool to promote transparency and fight against corruption, launching the first Open Government Action Plan of Ecuador that same year.

Canada is supporting dialogue as a long-term mechanism for conflict prevention and resolution in Ecuador, including through the allocation of $1M to UNDP for the implementation of a project on “Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention”. In addition, a GAC-funded Technical Assistance Partnership – Expert Deployment Mechanism (TAP-EDM) initiative aims to strengthen dialogue for national and subnational free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) processes.

In cooperation with civil society organizations in 2020, Canada provided support for training women on electoral participation and combatting gender violence during campaigning. Canada also provided significant funding ($350,000) to the Organization of American States Electoral Observation Mission for Ecuador’s 2021 general election.

The Global Issues and Development Branch contributes to inclusive growth by strengthening gender responsive financial systems. Global Affairs’ Partnership for Development Innovation Branch funds multi-country projects that support women in various sectors, notably by increasing their access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and by reducing the barriers for women exporters to participate in the global trade markets, including in Ecuador.

Canada also supports local civil society organizations with the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) whose priorities include human rights, democratic participation and sustainable development, with a particular focus on gender equality and vulnerable populations. The CFLI has been used during emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada is committed to assisting Ecuador in its efforts to preserve the environment. To this end, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of Canada signed a cooperation agreement with the Ecuadorian National Direction of Aquatic Spaces (DIRNEA) to detect dark vessels involved in unreported, unregulated and illegal fishing activities in the Galapagos Island marine reserve.

Since 2019, FinDev Canada supported three financial institutions in Ecuador with loans totaling USD $26M for micro, small and medium enterprises, focused on empowering women entrepreneurs and fighting climate change.

The International Development Research Center also supports several research initiatives in Ecuador’s development sphere.

Partnerships and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Ecuador work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

Date modified:: 2024-11-28

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