Canada–Kurdistan_Region_relations
Canada–Kurdistan Region relations
Bilateral relations
Canada–Kurdistan Region relations are bilateral relations between Canada and the Kurdistan Region.[1] Canada has an embassy office in Erbil,[2] while the Kurdistan Region has no representation in Canada. Diplomatic relations are described as "close"[3] and a "Parliamentary Friends of the Kurds" group was formed in 2016 by MP Tom Kmiec.[4] Canada also had a military presence in Kurdistan Region by training the Peshmerga. This presence ended in 2017, but the Kurdish government has since asked Canada to resume the training.[5][6][7]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada respected the Kurdish independence referendum in 2017 despite being unilateral.[8]
In July 2016, a controversy occurred regarding the Canadian military uniforms as they included the Flag of Kurdistan and could be interpreted as support for Iraq's disunity. Nevertheless, the Canadian Defense Chief Jonathan Vance decided to keep the Kurdish flag patches.[9] Another such gesture was the hoisting of the Kurdish flag in Toronto on 16 March 2019 to commemorate the Halabja massacre in 1988.[10]
Regarding the oil sector, Six Canadian oil companies were granted license by Kurdistan Region to operate in the region [11]