By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The consulate for one of Arizona’s biggest trade partners is officially back open after more than a decade’s hiatus.
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Canada celebrated the opening of its consulate in downtown Phoenix with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.
“This is a great day for Canada and our American friends here in Arizona,” said Member of Parliament Ali Ehsassi.
Nearly $6 billion of imports and exports are exchanged between Arizona and Canada yearly.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation equipment, agricultural products, and electronics were exported to Canada in 2025, making it Arizona’s third-largest export destination.
“Everybody now looks to Arizona like the cool kid on the block,” said Canada Arizona Business Council CEO Glenn Williamson.
Williamson served as the Honorary Consul following the closure of the official Canadian Consulate in Arizona back in 2012. Williamson helped push for this day to come once again.
“We’ve watched Arizona grow, but this time opening it up again, bringing in a professional team, having the ambassador plan, having a parliamentarian down here, that’s as good as it gets,” he said.
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The Consulate will be staffed to give support to exporters, as well as work to try and attract investment to Canada and continue relationships in Arizona. In a statement, Canadian officials say the opening of the Consulate reflects the country’s commitment to maintaining a strategic presence in key U.S. markets.
“Even when times are tough, the relationship between Arizonans and Canadians remains strong,” said Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Mark D. Wiseman.
Last year, President Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and the Trump administration later imposed “temporary import surcharges” after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal. There are also major negotiations that loom on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“We need to deepen our strategic economic collaboration, and we need to continue to support the bilateral relationship and the phenomenal growth that we are seeing here in Arizona,” said Wiseman.
On top of the business relationship, there are also tens of thousands of ‘snowbirds’ that call Arizona home each winter.
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