Saudi Arabia is opening up its economy and society. Why is Canada so slow to use?

There are many ways to measure how much changes have occurred in Saudi Arabia in recent years. One of them is Sruli Richler, a Montreal businessman who bumped into an ancient historic site.

Richler is an observer Jew with a beard and wears a Yarmulke under a ball cap.

He paused in Diriyah, the country's former capital, outside Riyadh, a huge American restoration project.

Just in case there was an open Jewish presence in the staunch conservative Islamic Kingdom, causing any friction, Richler jokingly pulled out a hat “make America great again” from his schoolbag – if he wanted to quickly merge with American visitors, he said.

But overall, he said he was welcomed throughout the Saudi capital.

“I honestly think it's going to be more hostile,” he told CBC News in Riyadh. “Everyone is calm, very relaxed and has a great business.”

Richler is the cousin of the famous Canadian writer Mordecai and his journalist son Noah, which he calls the “reverse logistics” business. That is, his company found that people returned to goods that could not be resold.

“I want to do business in Saudi Arabia. It's a promising country,” he said.

“You're surprised when you land here. I believe that when you bring businesses together, it brings people together. It's the way to the future.”

Freezing relationship

But this is not the second largest oil producer in other Canadians (including senior members of the current Liberal government) have been watching the world's second largest oil producer.

In 2018, the Canadian Department of Global Affairs, supervised by then Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, sent a series of tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia's human rights record and called for the release of activists linked to Canada.

The angry Saudi government accused Canada of interfering in its internal affairs. It expelled Canada's ambassador in Riyadh and took unusual steps to freeze trade ties between the two countries and order thousands of Saudi university students to study in Canada.

Later that year, Canada imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabia, linked to the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi leader Mohammed Bin Salman. Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

As the relationship was deeply frozen, trade, cultural and political contacts between the two countries turned into casualties.

Things are only restored Five years later in 2023, the two sides finally agreed to appoint a new ambassador and restore full ties.

Jeffrey Steiner, Canadian mining executive of Canada's Sudi Business Council, said he visited Saudi Arabia 28 times over four years, partly because of trying to help repair the fence.

“We do work behind the scenes and we encourage both sides to understand the advantages of working together. It took a few years, but it's very good now,” he said in an interview in Riyadh.

“We are catching up, but we are making rapid progress.”

Canadian Global Affairs acknowledged in a statement to CBC News that the situation has improved.

It said: “Canada and Saudi Arabia enjoy increasingly healthy and productive bilateral relations.”

Regarding human rights issues, the statement noted that Saudi Arabia was involved in a parliamentary review of its human rights record and that Canada was “satisfied” with the cooperation.

“Canada also welcomes the progress brought about by Saudi Arabia’s vision for 2030, especially the growing empowerment of women and their social and economic participation.”

2030 Vision 2030 is a huge effort by Bin Salman to transform nearly every aspect of Saudi society and its economy to help the kingdom transition to such a severe reliance on the production of fossil fuels.

Socially, change is dramatic.

Many heavy restrictions on women have been removed, and now more than 36% of the workforce are women, and women hold top jobs in public companies and the private sector.

After restoring political ties, trade between the two countries soared 82% between February 2024 and February 2025.

Canada's largest export to Saudi Arabia, worth $1.1 billion in 2023, is armored vehicles, most of which are LAV armored vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada in London, Ontario.

Saudi Arabia's largest export to Canada remains oil – about $1.5 billion in 2023, most of which was conducted at the giant Irving refinery in St. John's in NB

But Canadian supporters say the existing two-way deal represents a small part of what is possible.

Steiner participated in a network event in Riyadh.

He said Canadian companies also have more and more opportunities in healthcare, IT and artificial intelligence.

In his public remarks during Donald Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince stressed that the kingdom's door to foreign investment is open.

“Today, we want to have a $600 billion investment opportunity. We will close the deal in the next few months of the second phase and increase it to $1 trillion,” Bin Salman told the audience.

Lack of existence?

But, a former Canadian ambassador to the region said that unless Canada moves faster and is strategically faster to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the region, it once again risked losing.

“You are seeing the world's reordering. This place and the region really matter,” Arif Lalani led Canadian embassies in Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates over his long career.

“That’s why you see everyone coming here…and more and more, it’s crucial for Canada.”

During Trump's visit, his U.S. entourage included not only most of his senior cabinet ministers, but also the CEOs of many of the world's largest companies.

Trump took a similar splash trip to Saudi Arabia during his first official visit to his first presidency in 2017.

Instead, the last time the Canadian Prime Minister visited Saudi Arabia was Jean Chrétien in 2000 – a quarter of a century ago.

“I think Canada hasn't been in the region at the political level for many years,” Lalani said.

“The country’s leadership must show that everything diplomats and business people are trying to do.”

“Canadians are missing and I think if we want to diversify, that has to change.”

Canadian political scientist Janice Stein said that while human rights issues remain, the country cannot identify them.

“Canadians need to study Saudi Arabia’s trend line, what is improving and deteriorating,” she said.

“If there is ongoing evidence that women … have more opportunities than five years ago, that should be important.”

She said she believes Saudi Arabia is heading in the right direction on many key indicators.

“For me, it fills the glass halfway, not half empty.”