Canada-El Salvador relations

Bilateral relations

Canada and El Salvador established diplomatic relations in 1961. Canada’s contributions to the peace process ending the 1980 to 1992 civil war, and the successful integration in Canada of Salvadoran refugees, have contributed to the positive bilateral relationship. The Salvadoran diaspora in Canada is one of the largest from Latin America. Canada’s engagement with El Salvador is rooted in support for human rights, empowerment of women and girls, democracy, migration, rule of law and sustainable economic development.

In El Salvador, Canada is represented by the Embassy of Canada to El Salvador, in San Salvador. In Canada, El Salvador is represented by the Embassy of El Salvador to Canada in Ottawa as well as Honorary Consulates in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Trade relations

Bilateral trade between Canada and El Salvador totaled CAD $354.1M in 2023. Canadian exports, predominantly farm and fishing products, consumer goods, forestry products, plastics and industrial machinery, were valued at CAD $149.3M in 2023. Imports from El Salvador, consisting largely of farm and fishing products, consumer goods, electronic and electrical equipment, forestry products, and plastics, were valued at CAD $204.8M in 2023.

Commercial interest is moving away from depending on the offshoring of suppliers and nearshoring is an attractive possibility for many Salvadoran businesses. This represents an opportunity to showcase sectors of interest for Canadian businesses such as infrastructure and green building, clean tech, education, and agriculture.

Canada and El Salvador recognize Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program as a potential means to address root causes of irregular migration in Central America. El Salvador is interested in Canada’s TFW Program and is collaborating closely with a number of companies in Canada, as well as with the federal, provincial and territorial governments, to promote regular and temporary pathways to migration.

Canada and El Salvador benefit from education exchanges. Students from El Salvador are eligible to apply to Global Affairs Canada’s Emerging Leaders of the Americas Program. Established in 2009, this program funds students from Latin America and the Caribbean to complete short-term exchanges in Canadian post-secondary institutions at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

International assistance

Canada’s international assistance in El Salvador advances an inclusive agenda that promotes inclusive governance through strengthening democracy and the protection of human rights and increasing access to justice. Canada also promotes growth that works for everyone by addressing the root causes of irregular migration, reducing climate vulnerability and creating opportunities for marginalized groups, including indigenous women and girls. Canada also provides needs-based humanitarian assistance in response to natural disasters and food insecurity.

Canada is active in El Salvador through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), supporting civil society and other partner organizations working on issues related to gender-based violence, climate change, and peace and security, including migration.

Through its Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP), Canada supports El Salvador in promoting healthy eating habits in childhood and worked with the integration of gender indicators in governmental environmental management.

Canada supports El Salvador’s security efforts through Global Affairs Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). Since 2009, Global Affairs Canada has supported programming in El Salvador through the ACCBP with projects focused on tackling illicit drugs, corruption, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, cybercrime, and proceeds of crime, including money laundering.

Alongside Global Affairs Canada, several Government of Canada departments provide capacity building support and technical assistance to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. For example, Canada provides support to countries in Latin America to better manage and respond to large-scale irregular migration and forced displacement through capacity-building assistance delivered by Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada, including in the areas of asylum system strengthening, promoting regular and alternative migration pathways, and supporting socioeconomic integration of migrants and refugees.

Partnerships and organizations

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

Date modified:: 2025-03-13

Language selection

Search