Canada compete this week in the ICC Division 3 tournament in Uganda, a tournament of great importance for the national team. Canada has slipped down to Division 3 following a 6th place finish in the ICC Division 2 tournament in 2015. They had landed in Divsion 2 through an 8th place finish at the 2014 World Cup qualifier. Prior to 2014, Canada had been competing among the top eight associate countries, having previously qualified for the 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cups. Canada thus effectively have fallen to a world ranking of 22nd, behind countries such as Hong Kong, Nepal and UAE. The path to recovery lies through a top two finish in this tournament, and promotion back to Division 2. The ICC Division 2 tournament will be played in 2018, with the top two teams qualifying for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

Peter Della Penna provides a comprehensive preview for CricInfo:-
“This time around, the competition feature six teams – Canada, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore Uganda and USA – who have been in the wilderness, hoping to return like prodigal sons back to Division One, where they once belonged.

For Canada, that was as recent as 2014, but Singapore and Malaysia – two countries who were staples of the World Cup Qualifier in the ICC Trophy era since its inception in 1979 throughout the 1980s and 90s – haven’t been to the World Cup Qualifier since 2001.

As Uganda captain Davis Karashani told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the tournament, teams “aren’t here to see mountain gorillas, they’re here to try and qualify for the next division”. Here’s a look at the prospects for the tournament with the top-two teams advancing to WCL Division Two.”
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Canada’s tournament gets underway tomorrow (2:30 am in central Canada), as they take on Uganda. A good start against the hosts is imperative.
CricInfo scorecard