Canada and Ecuador Formally Sign Free Trade Agreement

Washington (ANTARA) - Canada and Ecuador have officially signed a free trade agreement, as announced by Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu on Friday.

“Today, Canada officially signed the Free Trade Agreement with Ecuador alongside Luis Alberto Jaramillo, Ecuador’s Minister of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment,” Sidhu wrote on platform X.

Sidhu added that the agreement opens new opportunities for Canadian businesses in Ecuador, while strengthening supply chains and creating measurable access for goods, services and investment between Ottawa and Quito.

The agreement also broadens opportunities for cooperation in the agriculture, clean technology, infrastructure and natural resources sectors.

Negotiations on the free trade agreement between Canada and Ecuador began in April 2024.

The discussions, which lasted nearly a year, concluded in February 2025, marked by an announcement of the agreement by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.

Nevertheless, since the negotiations began, a number of human rights groups in Canada have highlighted concerns about the deal.

They fear that mining expansion driven by the agreement could threaten ecosystems and worsen the human rights situation in Ecuador.