Canada and Ireland agree to work together on AI, tech and food security

DUBLIN — Canada and Ireland have agreed to work together on key issues like artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology and food security, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday.

During a press conference with Ireland’s head of government Micheál Martin, Carney said his visit was about “strengthening a relationship that is already flourishing.”

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He said the countries have complementary strategies in artificial intelligence. Ireland produced its AI strategy last winter, while Canada published its own AI plan earlier this month.

Carney also said Canada and Ireland will expand their co-operation in life sciences, including skills development for students and more resources for researchers.

He added that Canada will work to open a regenerative medicine hub in Ireland.

On Saturday afternoon, Carney will take part in a discussion on transatlantic ties between Canada and Europe.

Carney will later attend and deliver remarks at an official dinner hosted by Martin.

Martin was set to lead a trade mission to Canada in April, though the government cancelled the trip amid large protests in Ireland over fuel prices.

Last September, Martin released a report that his government commissioned the Conference Board of Canada to undertake, which aimed to position Ireland as “Canada’s gateway to the European Union.”

The report said Canada could boost exports to Ireland in financial and air transportation services, as well as management and consulting. Ireland, it said, could sell more computer services as well as insurance and pension services.

“While Canada offers a large and attractive market for Irish exporters and investors, complex regulations such as interprovincial trade barriers are seen as a challenge to business setup and operations,” the report warned.

Ireland, which has become a major centre for foreign investment and international tech companies, is set to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July and is looking to introduce new digital policies.

Deirdre Giblin, head of the Ireland Canada Business Association, said the two countries have “an emerging relationship” that has seen Irish exports to Canada nearly quadruple in value since 2018, after a trade deal between Canada and the EU, known as CETA, came into force.

The deal has only been provisionally in effect since 2017 because Ireland is among 10 countries that still haven’t fully ratified the deal, following concerns about trade tribunals and national sovereignty.

Martin met with Carney in Ottawa in September. At the time, he said Ireland would be ratifying the CETA deal. A joint statement from the leaders said they agreed on the importance of Ireland’s full ratification of the agreement by 2026.

Giblin said Ireland is likely to fully ratify the CETA deal two to three weeks after Carney’s visit, as the government’s ongoing reform of its arbitration law is wrapping up.

Carleton University Fen Osler Hampson said the visit to Ireland is strategic for Canada as it’s helpful to have Ireland in its corner as it assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

He noted those ties may help Canada as it seeks to deepen relations with Europe on defence, security, energy, AI and critical minerals.

With CETA yet to be ratified, Hampson also said Carney could ask Ireland to encourage other countries to get on board.

Europe plays a dominant role in Carney’s vision for rebuilding the international order and weaning Canada off its decades-long reliance on the United States for trade and security partnerships.

Giblin said Carney’s rhetoric around diversifying while navigating American shifts resonates for Ireland, which has grappled with continuous economic shocks in the U.K. in the years since Brexit.

“Values-based realism — that’s where both countries find themselves at this moment in time,” she said. “It’s very hard for us to have a stable relationship — which we really hope and want, and have most of the time — with our U.K. partner.”

However, Hampson said Ireland will likely try to avoid making any criticisms of the U.S. during the visit.

He said that’s because the country is highly dependent on foreign direct investment from the U.S., especially in pharmaceuticals and tech, where companies have taken advantage of its favourable tax laws to establish their operations.

Giblin’s group has previously warned that this presents a risk of reliance on the sector, with more than half of Ireland’s corporate tax revenue in 2023 stemming from 10 American companies.

“When there is a big bull’s eye on the Irish shamrock, you don’t raise your head above the parapet, especially when you’re about to take over the EU presidency,” he said.

Over recent months, controversy has brewed in Ireland over exports fuelling Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Aughinish Alumina refinery was opened by Canada’s Alcan but was transferred to Russian owners in 2007.

The plant has been supplying Russian smelters with Irish alumina — the chemical compound used to produce aluminum — which is reportedly feeding military supply chains.

Canadian officials briefing reporters about Carney’s trip were circumspect when asked whether the prime minister would raise the issue during his visit, and noted recent talks between EU and Irish officials over the matter.

Ireland is technically a neutral country, but has voiced support for Ukraine and resettled many Ukrainians. The country has been more vocal in recent years about Palestinian rights.

Giblin said the plant is “a bit embarrassing” for Ireland and officials are debating how to deal with it. It employs roughly a thousand people and could shore up supply chains.

On Sunday, Carney heads to his family’s ancestral home in County Mayo, where he’ll meet with Irish President Catherine Connolly.

Carney’s grandfather Robert Carney and grandmother Nora Moran were both from the town of Aughagower, in County Mayo. They immigrated to Canada in the early 1920s.

— with files from Dylan Robertson

Read more:

• Trade minister says China mission highlighted opportunities and possible tariff relief extension
• Sask. Premier Scott Moe shares preview of upcoming trade mission to Europe
• Trump ‘not looking to renew’ CUSMA trade pact, says no need for Canadian imports