Canada-Paraguay relations
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Bilateral relations
Canada and Paraguay established diplomatic relations in 1961. Paraguay has closed its embassy in Ottawa but is represented in Canada by honorary consuls in Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Paraguayan interests in Canada are also covered by the Embassy of Paraguay to the United States in Washington, DC. Canada’s embassy to Argentina, in Buenos Aires, is accredited to Paraguay, and Canada maintains an honorary consulate in Asunción, Paraguay.
Canada and Paraguay have a robust bilateral relationship and both value respect for human rights and peacekeeping, and support effective multilateralism within the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS).
Paraguay is an associate member of Canada’s Military Training Cooperation Program. Through this program, Canada provides military training to Paraguay, improving defense relations between the two countries.
People-to-people ties
Canada and Paraguay's bilateral relationship is built on a growing network of people to-people ties, amplified through educational exchanges, commerce, culture, and tourism. There are 15,000 to 20,000 Canadians in Paraguay, primarily members of the Mennonite community. Canadians of Paraguayan origin (approximately 5,925) form an important part of Canada’s social fabric and contribute to a positive bilateral relationship.
There are a number of programs and scholarships that help strengthen educational ties between Canada and Paraguay, including the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) and the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program (FMPBP). ELAP provides short-term scholarship opportunities for students from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Paraguay, to study or conduct research in Canada. FMPBP enables professors at Canadian post-secondary institutions to pursue short-term research and/or teaching activities as a means of exploring, creating and advancing institutional partnerships. Since 2009, 17 Paraguayan students have participated in exchange opportunities for study or research at the college, undergraduate and graduate level under ELAP.
The CALDO Consortium of Canadian research universities partners with Paraguay’s Programa Nacional de Becas de Posgrado en el Exterior “Don Carlos Antonio López” (BECAL) to support Paraguayan students pursuing research-based Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Canada. Established through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2016 and renewed in 2021, the partnership provides co-funded scholarships that cover tuition, living expenses, travel, and research support. It promotes collaboration in science, technology, engineering, health, and agricultural sciences, and highlights Canada’s role as a trusted partner in advancing Paraguay’s research and innovation capacity.
Trade relations
In 2024, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Paraguay was valued at $68.7 million. The value of Canadian exports to Paraguay totalled $30.7 million, with top exports being nuclear machinery (48%), precious stones and metals (10%), pharmaceutical products (9%), and electrical machinery (7.5%). Canadian imports from Paraguay were valued at $37.9 million and included meat (31%), oil seeds (28%), sugar (16%), and wood (7%).
See the latest statistics from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
Sustainable development finance: On October 6, 2025, Canada’s bilateral development finance institution, FinDev Canada, together with the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Proparco, a subsidiary of Agence Française de Développement, announced the signing of a US $370 million syndicated loan facility to Sudameris Bank S.A.E.C.A., the second-largest commercial bank in Paraguay. The loan marks FinDev Canada’s first transaction with a Paraguayan financial institution and supports the expansion of green lending and access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, including women-owned businesses.
Paraguay is a full member of Mercosur, a customs union which also includes Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia (2019), and Uruguay.
Related links
- Trade and investment agreements
- Import / Export controls
- Doing business in Paraguay (served by Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Development
Canada does not have a bilateral development assistance program in Paraguay but does provide support through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), the Technical Assistance Partnership-Expert Deployment Mechanism (TAP-EDM), and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). In addition, Paraguay benefits from Canadian funding to multilateral organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Project Browser contains profiles of international development projects funded by the Government of Canada, of which Paraguay is a beneficiary.
Since 2007, over 75 CFLI projects, worth over $1.2 million, have been implemented. Recent CFLI projects have focused on gender equality, women’s empowerment, inclusive governance and projects related to climate change.
Canada’s TAP-EDM additionally supported three initiatives in Paraguay from 2022 to 2025 focused on inclusive governance and peace and security, two of which are now completed after achieving all their objectives successfully.
Canada’s IDRC supports projects in Paraguay aimed at strengthening research organizations to drive data-informed public policy implementation, enhance climate resilience, and promote the sharing of Indigenous knowledge systems.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Paraguay work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- Open Government Partnership (OGP)
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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