Canada-Ireland relations

On this page

• Bilateral relations
• Trade relations
• Partnerships and organizations

Bilateral relations

Canada and Ireland have a close relationship based on historic and people-to-people links and common fundamental values that underpin cooperation on regional and global issues. In 2019, Canada and Ireland celebrated 80 years of diplomatic relations. In March 2021, Canada’s House of Commons unanimously agreed to the motion to make March the Irish Heritage Month, recognizing the important contributions that Irish-Canadians have made to building Canada, and to Canadian society in general.

Over 4.6 million Canadians (or over 14% of the population) claim some Irish ancestry, making Irish the fourth-largest ethnic group in Canada.

Ireland is one of Canada’s most like-minded partners in the European Union. Canada and Ireland share values and common priorities, including support for gender equality and human rights. We also cooperate closely on environment protection and climate action.

Canada is represented in Ireland by an embassy in Dublin. In Canada, Ireland is represented by an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate in Vancouver.

Trade relations

Canada and Ireland enjoy a strong commercial relationship that includes significant trade flows, and extensive two-way investment.

Bilateral goods trade between Canada and Ireland totalled $4.9 billion in 2022 with Canadian exports of $919.1 million and imports of $4.0 billion. Canada’s exports to Ireland were led by farm, fishing and intermediate food products, accounting for 35.6% of exports. Canada’s imports were led by consumer goods, accounting for 80.2% of imports from Ireland. In terms of services trade, Canada exported $2.6 billion in services to Ireland in 2021, and imported $3.4 billion of services from Ireland in 2021.

Investment: Ireland's FDI stock stood at $14.7 billion in 2021 (latest available), an increase of 12% from 2020. Ireland ranked as the 12th largest investor country (6th largest from Europe) of FDI stock in Canada in 2021 (Ultimate Investing Country basis).

Canada and Ireland are parties to several bilateral treaties, including the Agreement on Social Security (1992), the Canada-Ireland Income Tax Convention (2005), and the Audiovisual Co-Production Treaty (2016).

Related links

• Trade and investment agreements
• Import / Export controls
• Doing business in Ireland

Partnerships and organizations

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

• European Union
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN)
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
• United Nations (UN)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)