Mark Carney plans first-ever standalone visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister

Summary

The story starts in Burlington, Ontario, where the targeting camera in the nose of Türkiye's Bayraktar TB2 drone was built. Reuters reported, citing four sources, that Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Türkiye this month to meet Erdogan. Trade between the two countries is under 0.3% of Canada's total, but the video argues the real value lies in what each side builds that the other needs.

Since June, the video traces a fast build-up. Trade ministers agreed to expand cooperation on renewable and nuclear energy, and at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, Carney and Erdogan launched free trade negotiations. That month Türkiye also joined the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank as a founding member. Talks with Washington collapsed in August, and Canada's trade with the United States came to roughly $1 trillion last year, against $4.34 billion with Türkiye.

The video's central argument is that Canada's sensor know-how gives it leverage. Canada exported up to $301 million in Wescam sensors to Türkiye from 2017 to 2020, then suspended exports after Ottawa concluded Canadian optics on Turkish drones had been used by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Shipments resumed after a 2024 thaw tied to Türkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO bid. It also flags rights concerns that Carney must weigh.

Key points

• Canada exported up to $301M in Wescam sensors to Türkiye between 2017 and 2020.
• Sensor transfers worth up to $123M resumed after the 2024 thaw.
• Türkiye's defence exports rose from $248M in 2002 to over $10B in 2025.
• Canada-US merchandise trade is about $1 trillion, against $4.34B with Türkiye.
• Türkiye joined the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank as a founding member.
• Romania has run CANDU reactors at Cernavoda since 1996.

Questions answered