Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand discussed the strengthening of bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday.

In a statement, the FO said Dar received a call the previous evening from Anand.

“The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral trade and investment, including sectors such as agriculture and mines and minerals, and collaboration under the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA),” the FO said.

It added that the Canadian foreign minister thanked Dar for facilitating market access for imports of Canadian canola to Pakistan.

“Both leaders appreciated recent constructive engagements, reaffirmed their commitment to advancing mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” the FO said, adding that the two foreign ministers agreed to remain in close contact.

Anand also commented on her phone call with Dar in a post on social media platform X.

“We discussed a range of issues including opening up Pakistan to imports of Canadian canola, the FIPPA model, and bilateral economic engagement,” she said.

She also thanked Dar for “productive meetings” over the past few months in Kuala Lumpur and New York as well as the phone call.

Pakistan’s imports from Canada mostly include pulses and canola seeds.

During the last fiscal year, Pakistan’s merchandise exports to North America grew by 9.97 per cent in FY25, reaching $6.415bn compared to $5.833bn in the previous year. Data compiled by the central bank attributed the rebound to increased exports of textiles and clothing to the US, which accounted for nearly 94pc of Pakistan’s total exports to the region; the remaining share was primarily directed towards Canada.