Italy and Canada are looking beyond traditional trade relations to build cooperation around economic security, industrial resilience and technological competitiveness.
Why it matters: Their growing alignment also reflects a wider debate over how middle powers can protect their interests and influence an increasingly fragmented international order.
Driving the news: Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Tripodi attended the Italy–Canada Business Forum in Toronto on behalf of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, seeking to expand bilateral trade and investment opportunities.
- Organized by Italy’s Foreign Ministry alongside the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), the Defense Ministry’s National Armaments Directorate and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the forum focused on three areas: advanced manufacturing; energy, mining and infrastructure; and defense, aerospace and cybersecurity.
- Italian financial and trade institutions, including Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Simest, SACE and Unioncamere, joined diplomatic representatives in supporting Italian companies seeking to expand their presence in Canada.
By the numbers: Canada is an increasingly important destination for Italian exports.
- Italian exports to Canada reached €6.33 billion in 2025, with a further 4.2% increase recorded in the first seven months of 2026.
- Italy ranks as Canada’s eighth-largest supplier and its 12th-largest export customer.
- The EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) provides an established framework for expanding commercial and investment ties.
What they’re saying: Tripodi identified economic security and industrial cooperation as central objectives of the partnership.
- “Canada is a particularly important partner for Italy, with whom we share an interest in strengthening economic security, diversifying supply chains and developing new industrial and technological synergies,” she said.
- Tripodi emphasized the complementary nature of the two economies and the opportunities offered by CETA.
- Canada is among the priority markets identified in Italy’s Export Action Plan, making the relationship part of Rome’s broader effort to strengthen the international competitiveness of its industrial base.
The bigger picture: The Toronto forum comes as Canada seeks to redefine its international positioning through a combination of economic pragmatism, strategic autonomy and closer cooperation with like-minded middle powers. That approach was recently outlined by Canadian Ambassador to Italy Elissa Golberg during the presentation of the latest issue of Formiche magazine at the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI), as Decode39 reported.
- Ottawa’s priorities include strengthening productivity, infrastructure and technological capabilities while reducing exposure to external economic shocks.
- Cooperation among middle powers is becoming increasingly relevant as geopolitical competition complicates traditional patterns of economic interdependence.
- As Golberg argued, countries can exercise greater influence by acting collectively rather than individually. The objective is strategic autonomy, not strategic rivalry.
Between the lines: For Rome, the Canadian relationship offers an opportunity to connect its industrial diplomacy with a broader geopolitical agenda.
- Canada’s mineral resources, energy capabilities and advanced technology ecosystem complement Italian expertise in manufacturing, infrastructure, aerospace and defense. Cooperation in these sectors could help both countries diversify strategic dependencies while reinforcing their positions within transatlantic supply chains.
- The relationship also carries implications beyond bilateral commerce. As two G7 members with strong transatlantic commitments, Italy and Canada have an interest in preserving economic openness while reducing vulnerabilities in sectors increasingly shaped by security considerations.
Go deeper: The strategic significance of Canada’s evolving international role was also explored in OnBoard, Beniamino Irdi’s column for Decode39, which examines why Ottawa’s choices matter for Italy and Europe’s wider geopolitical outlook.
The bottom line: The Toronto forum illustrates how economic diplomacy is becoming an instrument of strategic positioning. For Italy and Canada, the challenge is to turn shared priorities into concrete industrial partnerships, investment flows and more resilient supply chains — while using their cooperation to strengthen the influence of middle powers within the Western alliance.
