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Canada-Samoa relations

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Bilateral relations

Canada enjoys pleasant bilateral relations with Samoa. Canada and Samoa share membership in several international organizations, such as the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

Canada and Samoa share interests with respect to fisheries management and are both parties to the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. Canada is also a dialogue partner of the Pacific Islands Forum to which Samoa belongs.

In Samoa, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada in New Zealand. Samoa is represented in Canada by the Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations in New York. About 120 people who live in Canada are born in Samoa according to the 2021 Canadian census. Citizens of Samoa do not need a visa to visit Canada.

Trade relations

Canada’s trade relations with Samoa are managed by the . Canada has limited trade relations with Samoa. In 2023, total bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Samoa totaled $630,740. Canadian merchandise exports amounted to $514,311, comprising mainly machinery parts. Imports amounted to $116,429 and were mostly for machinery parts and gold coin being used as legal tender.

Development

Canada supports small and community-focused projects in Samoa through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). Canada has contributed over $768,000 to organizations implementing CFLI in Samoa since 2012. In 2023-2024, Canada funded four projects totalling $150,500 and centered on education, youth, and women empowerment

Samoa has also been a beneficiary of the following projects in the Pacific Islands region: 

The Kiwa Initiative (2020 to 2026) is a multi-donor Pan-Pacific regional initiative funded by Canada, France, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. Since March 2020, Canada has contributed a total of $16 million to the Kiwa initiative through a Contribution Arrangement with the Agence française de développement (AFD). The Kiwa initiative strengthens capacities of local and national authorities and civil society organizations to design and implement small to large-scale biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation projects at local, national and regional levels through granting/funding facilities. 

The Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Project (2019 to 2024) was a $13.9 million project that supports women entrepreneurs. It aimed to address the particular challenges that women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises face in growing their businesses, including access to finance and new technologies.

The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) (2018 to 2023) is a recently terminated project implemented by the World Bank, to which Canada contributed $1.5 million. The PCRAFI sought to provide the Pacific Island countries with disaster risk assessment and financing tools, including sovereign insurance, for enhanced disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

Between 2015 and 2025, Canada contributes $20 million to the Asia Pacific Project Preparation Facility (AP3F) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). AP3F is a multi-donor trust fund that provides additional financial resources and technical support for the preparation of infrastructure projects in developing member countries in order to increase infrastructure development and enhance the quality of infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific.

The Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) (2021 to 2023) is a project that was implemented by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and to which Canada contributed $9.5 million. It benefited Pacific Small Island Developing States and others in securing and structuring finance for priority climate projects by cultivating a network of highly trained, embedded climate finance advisors.

The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) (2018 to 2025) is a demand-driven $11.6 million technical assistance facility designed to support poverty reduction and women’s empowerment. As of May 2023, CTIF has provided seven technical assistance mandates with a total value of $1.15M to PICs. One CTIF project has been completed in Samoa thus far: the Comprehensive Assessment of the Implications of Implementing the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement on Six Pacific Island Countries WTO Members (2023, $67,000).

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) Special Requirements Fund has received contributions of $68,000 to $100,000 from Canada in recent years. It aims to support capacity-building among the members of the Commission such as Samoa.

Partnerships and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Samoa work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

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