Jakarta. Canada is sticking to its plan to ratify its Indonesian trade deal within this year, according to an envoy, as Ottawa hopes the pact will enable women-owned enterprises gain better market access.

In September 2025, President Prabowo Subianto wrapped up his trip to Canada by signing the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This was the first free trade agreement that Canada ever struck with an ASEAN member. According to Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Jess Dutton, the pact is subject to lawmaking processes on both sides before they can begin trading with one another tariff-free.

“We expect the agreement will be ratified at some point this year. Each domestic ratification process is going as it should,” Dutton told reporters in Jakarta on the margins of an International Women’s Day conference. 

The envoy did not give a specific month, but he was upbeat that the agreement could make export-import activities more inclusive for women-led businesses. Canada is also helping the Indonesian government to “not only make the necessary regulatory changes, but also make sure that the agreement is accessible to all”. Canada also hopes that the agreement can help integrate its indigenous women-owned businesses into the global market.

Indonesian business lobby Apindo chairwoman Shinta Kamdani views Canada as a country that “upholds gender equality”.

“We expect Canada to make sure that women-owned businesses are part of the supply chain under this CEPA. Women-owned enterprises will also get to hone their skills to boost trade,” Shinta said.

Indonesia reported that its trade with Canada totaled almost $4.4 billion in 2025, with a $970 million deficit on Jakarta’s side. Imports from Canada neared $2.7 billion that year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has set a goal to double Canadian non-US exports in the next decade amid Washington’s tariff uncertainties.

At home, women are driving Indonesia’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The government reported that 64.5% of the MSMEs nationwide belong to women, amounting to around 37 million enterprises. The overall MSME sector accounts for 61.9% of Indonesia’s gross domestic product.

Canada has pledged CAD 25 million ($18.3 million) to back Indonesia with technical assistance and capacity-building for the CEPA implementation.

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