Executive Director meets with Prime Minister of Canada on energy market turmoil amid Middle East conflict

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol met this week with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and senior government figures to discuss key issues including the energy crisis resulting from the war in the Middle East and Canada’s contributions to international energy security.

In their bilateral meeting in Ottawa, Dr Birol and Prime Minister Carney spoke about the implications of the disruptions to shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on global supplies of oil, natural gas and other important commodities. They also discussed the major steps Canada is taking to ensure it can meet rising demand for energy at home and from its growing number of export markets abroad.

While in Ottawa, Dr Birol participated in a fireside chat with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson at Canada’s Chamber of Commerce. They discussed the energy impacts of the war in the Middle East and Canada’s opportunity to step up energy exports at this moment of crisis and in the years ahead. They held a bilateral meeting after the event where they spoke about topics such as the importance of reliable energy supplies and how to develop more diverse critical mineral supply chains

The Executive Director then travelled to Toronto for meetings there, including with Canada’s Minister of Finance François-Philippe Champagne with whom he discussed recent energy market and economic developments amid the Middle East conflict. In Toronto, Dr Birol also took part in the Canada Growth Summit 2026 at which Canada’s Public Policy Forum honoured him with the Global Laureate Award for his significant contributions to energy security and policy making.

During his visit to Canada, Dr Birol met with a range of senior government figures and business leaders, including Ambassador Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s newly appointed ambassador to the European Union and former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.