Initial ties between Canada and Saudi Arabia emerged in the nineteen-seventies when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was first created. Economically, the countries benefit greatly from each other, thus making the alliance between them so important. Saudi Arabia is also Canada’s largest trading partner in the Middle East.

Since the Gulf War, Saudi Arabia has proven to be a strong ally to Canada. The Kingdom helped build the Canadian Field Hospital in Jubail, northern Saudi Arabia. Many diplomatic visits have been made between the two nations since the War, with the latest in 2001, when Saudi representatives visited the Parliament with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Saudi Arabia has also recently applied for membership to the World Trade Organization, in which Canada chairs the committee responsible for Saudi Arabia’s application.

The Canada-Saudi Arabia Joint Economic Commission was established in 1976. This committee will concentrate on economic and commercial relationships between the two countries. Discussions are open between the committee members to explore new commercial opportunities between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s profound respect for Canadian universities is apparent through their missions to send post-graduates to a Canadian university. This presently includes 400 Saudi medical students attending a Canadian education institution. Saudi Minister for Higher Education, Khaled Al-Anquari, has been responsible and encourages such travels for post-grauduate students to Canadian universities. Canada’s main export from Saudi Arabia is, of course, oil. Trade will always be a main concern when dealing with Saudi Arabian relations for the Canadian government.

However, since the September 11^th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Canada has joined a coalition against terrorism. This coalition includes a policy to stop any terrorists, "this includes anyone who advocates the use of violence to further political, religious or ideological objectives," or anyone who harbors them.

Although the Saudi Arabian government and monarchy continually condemn terrorism, the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11^th were Saudi leaves some speculation. There is an obvious cluster in Saudi Arabia of terrorists and terrorist cells. With even more recent events, in which suicide bombers in Saudi Arabia attacked three compounds housing foreigners on May 12^th 2003, growing concern over the safety of Canadians in Saudi Arabia arises. Five Canadians were injured in the attacks, none of which were fatal although 41 other foreigners were killed.

A second major event that is straining the relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia first started in December 2000. William Sampson, a Canadian, and two Europeans admitted openly on television to the responsibility of two car bombings which killed several British men. Few days later, it was reported that Sampson was tortured into the confessions. Sampson is waiting on a sentence to death by Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Judicial Council. Sampson is still imprisoned, reports of his torture are still appearing in the media, with almost no comment from the Canadian government. As Sampson was a popular alcohol distributor in a country where alcohol is strictly forbidden, his guilt is not in question. However it is his admittance of the car bombing that is of concern and his life on death row, which have human rights activists fuming in Canada. The majority of the Canadian population firmly believe that the Canadian Government should step in and at least mediate between Sampson and the government to work out a deal or a fair trial. However, no intervention from the government has been reported in the two years from the beginning of the case.

1. Perhaps the most important point of interest for Canada is the trade that is occurring with Saudi Arabia. In 1997, imports from Saudi Arabia were estimated at $646 million, mainly consisting of petroleum. Conversely, in 1996, exports to Saudi Arabia were $636 million. Saudi Arabia has an estimated $162,981 million value of petroleum exports according to OPEC. It also has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the total reserves). Furthermore, the spread of technology and its advance is commonly shared between the two countries, with many Canadian high-tech projects based in Saudi Arabia.
2. Secondly, the safety of our citizens in Saudi Arabia is important. After a 2002 G8 summit, Canada agreed on six principles produced to prevent terrorism. The last of the six principles is where Canada pledged to help protect Canadians traveling or working abroad, a main concern with the Canadian government. There are presently between 6,500 and 7,000 Canadians in Saudi Arabia. Recent events in which car bombs ran into foreign compounds in Saudi Arabia are placing their safety at risk. Many Canadians are choosing to leave the country, however those who stay still leave their life in jeopardy.
3. Another major concern is the rise of fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia legal system is based on the Law of the Sharia, in which the government is part of a conservative sect of Islam called the Wahhabis. These Wahhabis enforce conventional traditions, which in turn produce extreme fundamentalists who can become terrorists. This conventional frame of mind that is being set by the Wahhabis leaves the Western society at risk, as a major anti-Western sentiment is common to these religious figures.
4. Although the Saudi Arabian government invites Westerners to work in their country, it is the Wahhabis that pose a real threat as they are very anti-Western. Of course the main object of hate is the Americans, but often other Westerners are also included. The fact that our citizens are not welcome is a key point to note.
5. Saudi Arabia is a major player in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It sometimes acts as a mediator behind the two and often offers peace plans and talks. This is an important aspect for finding peace in the Middle East. Under the U.N., Canada is responsible for the refugees of the conflict and of course welcomes any positive suggestions. Canada also has major interests in peace with our great peacekeeping, and the sooner peace is achieved, the better.

1. Strengthen the education in social sciences and humanities as Canada helped overwhelmingly with technology in Saudi Arabia. Ensuring a stronger intellectual society will produce fewer extremists who are only educated by what they are told from other extremists. Ignorance is a high factor of religious extremism, yet more education in the social sciences, not just technology, would ensure a smarter individual.
2. Help strengthen the judicial system in Saudi Arabia. Presently, the system is arbitrary and based on the judge’s interpretation of the Sharia, which is very subjective. A system based on a more concrete written law will ensure a more stable society. The judicial branch of the government is a very important section as it enforces the law. Presently those enforcing the law in Saudi Arabia are religious fanatics called the ‘mutawaeen’. Their religious extremist views are greatly feared in the Western world.
3. Implementation of human rights including freedom of speech and more women’s rights. As Canada is part of the U.N., it believes strongly in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The second article in this document states: "everyone is entitled to all the rights…without distinction of any kind such as…sex." Saudi Arabia violates this right largely when involving women, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Saudi Arabia clearly violates this rule by forcing women to dress a certain way as well as being subjected to Wahhabis who walk around the streets and publicly scream at the women who are not covered completely. Freedom of speech is also violated, as the phones in Saudi are believed to be tapped at all times and complete access to the World Wide Web is not possible.
4. Encourage tourism in Saudi Arabia. Tourism is a good portion of the Saudi Arabian economy however presently only Muslims may visit Mecca. Receiving a visa to enter Saudi Arabia is rare unless on business as well. Another good recommendation would be to sponsor an internship for students between the two countries. There is presently a program in Saudi Arabia to send post-graduate students to study in Canada however the same should be done for Canadian students as well. Both countries and cultures could benefit from each other and a positive outcome would ensue.
5. Endorse a crackdown of money transfers to illegal funding for terrorists by the government. It has been found that large amounts of money are being transferred in Saudi Arabia to terrorist cells all over the world. This must be stopped. The Saudi government has failed to regulate and condemn such acts. This crackdown on illegal funding is a simple step in eliminating terrorism around the world.

1. Canada will lead in applying multiculturalism to strict societies. This will also prevent some terrorist activities in Saudi Arabia. Education is the key to obliterate ignorance and biased thinking. Awareness of the world we live in would help the Saudis into a more modern way of thinking, and would help to eliminate extremists. Internationally, Canada would be setting an example and hopefully soon the U.N. would form a specialized team to continue what Canada has done in Saudi Arabia to other countries in the world as well.
2. More institutions empowered by law will be established to ensure proper administrative procedures and responsibility to citizens. This would perhaps prevent a repetition of the Sampson case. These institutions will be staffed with knowledgeable employees who would have proper training in providing and implementing policies. This would also help in our quest for human rights and equality. Saudi Arabia would then be considered internationally as one of the most advanced developing countries.
3. This is perhaps the only recommendation that could produce a more negative effect. The Saudis are very strict about their policies and treatment of women and speech. There is no doubt that more anti-Western sentiments among the religious authorities would be produced if this recommendation were implemented. However, it is important to any society to have firm human rights and right now it is this lack of human rights that are producing such extremists in Saudi Arabia. Enforcing equality would, at first, produce more hate sentiments for the Westerners, however in the long run it would help eliminate further terrorist activities.
4. Diversity is always a positive thing and should be welcomed with open arms. Not only would this boost the Saudi economy since it is the homeland of one of the major religions of the world, it would also encourage interaction between the usually isolated Saudi people and foreigners. Although the Saudi Arabian government does not seem to want to adopt any form of Western ideology (such as Democracy), it does not mean we cannot educate them and help them grow, even as a monarchy. The internship would help strengthen the relationship between the Canadians and the Saudis as well.
5. This step would help the war on terrorism considerably. Although since the War in Iraq, Canada has not been considered a major player in the Coalition Against Terrorism, it still shares the same goal of eliminating terrorism in the world. A major setback that the terrorist organizations may have would be if their funds were cut or at least decreased. This could even eventually lead to the downfall of terrorism. It is one of the Canadian government’s top priorities, especially since there are suspicions of many terrorist cells being operated in Canada. Muslim extremists often begin in Canada and pass the American borders to execute their terrorist activities. As the Canadian government is trying to combat this by cracking down on these cells, it would be very helpful if the Saudi government would do the same and help eliminate these networks. As 15 out of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, it is obvious there is a collection of terrorists in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi government must play a role to ensure the elimination of these cells. Together these countries can ensure a safer worldwide community.

Unlike others, Canada is not considered a colonialist country. By strengthening the educational and social institutions of Saudi Arabia, Canada will help the Saudi society set equilibrium between its new consumerism and its quest for knowledge advancement. By implementing these recommended actions, Canada will aid the Saudi citizens remember their glory before and after Islam and will give them an incentive to be in the ranks of the advanced countries of the world.