On Monday, Saudi Arabia gave the Canadian ambassador in the capital city Riyadh 24 hours to leave the country and recalled its own envoy to Canada after the North American country urged Riyadh to release >arrested civil rights activists.
Those held by authorities in the kingdom include the Saudi-American human rights campaigner Samar Badawi - sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi - in addition to others who have been accused of serious crimes including "suspicious contact with foreign parties", and could face up to 20 years in prison.
"The Canadian position is an overt and blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is in contravention of the most basic international norms and all the charters governing relations between States," the Saudi foreign ministry >said on Twitter.
Since then, to much of the world's surprise, Saudi Arabia intensified its stance against "Canada's interference in domestic affairs" by initiating a number of actions that could potentially have negative long-term effects on both countries.
Here is everything you need to know about the Saudi Arabia-Canada fallout:
1. Saudi Arabia suspended all new trade and investment with Canada
Saudi Arabia said it will "stop all new business and investment transactions with Canada while retaining its right to take further action".
Latest figures from 2016 show that trade between the two countries was worth $3 billion.
2. Saudia, also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, announced it would be suspending all flights between Toronto and Riyadh
On Tuesday, amid the intensifying diplomatic row between the two countries, Saudi Arabia's state airline Saudia announced that it will suspend all flights to and from Toronto starting next week.
3. All scholarships enabling Saudi students to study in Canada were also suspended
Shortly after, Saudi Arabia declared that it was suspending all scholarships enabling Saudi students to study in Canada.
Students already in the country would be relocated. According to the Vancouver Sun, in 2015, about 5,000 new students arrived from Saudi Arabia each year.
4. UAE, Bahrain, and the Palestinian Authority have publicly backed Saudi Arabia in the dispute
"We must stand with Saudi Arabia as it defends its leadership and laws. It is completely unacceptable for other countries to think their modules and experiences allow them to interfere in our internal matters," said the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Twitter.
Additionally, >according to Reuters, Bahrain said on Monday it stood with Saudi Arabia in a political row with Canada, rejecting what it called Ottawa's interference in Riyadh’s internal affairs.
Meanwhile, through a statement published by the Palestinian Press Agency, President Mahmoud Abbas also assured the support of Palestinians to Saudi Arabia and its move against Canada's intervention.
5. In response, Canada says it will "always stand up for the protection of human rights"
The official statement made by the Canadian government's media relations office read: "We are deeply concerned that Saudi Arabia has expelled Canada's ambassador in response to Canadian statements in defense of human rights activists detained in the kingdom."
"Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women's rights and freedom of expression around the world," Chrystia Freeland, the Minister of Foreign Affairs added.
"The Embassy of Canada to Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, continues its regular operations, including consular services."