The Canadian government is considering a proposal to open its embassy in Doha due to the surge in the number of Canadians working in Qatar besides an increase in bilateral trade.
According to an official of the Canadian embassy in Kuwait, the number of Canadian expatriates living and working in Qatar is estimated at 2,000 and is expected to rise in the coming years.
Frida Attaya, Public Diplomacy Officer of the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait, said bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Qatar totaled $91m in 2008.
Canada also exported $89.3m in goods to Qatar comprising primarily electrical machinery, oil and gas machinery and other industries and paper products.
“These numbers do not include trade in services where Canadians are also very active in Qatar,” Attaya said.
Most Canadians are working in various fields including oil and gas, construction, health care, education, financial services and in the hospitality industry.
They tend to be employed at the managerial/professional level notably the College of North Atlantic Qatar and the University of Calgary Nursing School are employing several hundred Canadian educators.
Attaya said the number of Canadians coming to work in Qatar is on the rise since 2004 and that this situation has prompted the Canadian government to consider opening a full-fledged diplomatic mission in Doha.
She explained that the estimated 2,000 Canadians in Qatar is based on passport issuance numbers, information provided by her countrymen living in Qatar and with representatives of firms which employ a large number of Canadians.
There is a thriving business organisation called the Canadian Business Association Qatar, which regularly holds monthly meetings to assess and update developments on their concern.
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