Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit Doha on Jan. 18 between his trips to China and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Qatar, where Canada is negotiating a foreign investment deal, as part of a wider trade mission to the Middle East this week. (The Logic)

Talking point: The Liberal government has been courting investment from oil-rich Gulf countries as part of efforts to reduce Canada’s reliance on the U.S., as well as double exports to other countries by 2035. Sidhu met Qatari Foreign Trade Affairs Minister Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed in Doha, where he highlighted Canada’s interest in working with Qatar in sectors including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and information technology. Al Sayed told a business roundtable they were also working on a deal “to prevent double taxation.” The Qatar Investment Authority—a sovereign wealth fund with US$580 billion in assets—is expected to visit Canada soon, Politico reported.