GENEVA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to attend the annual G7 summit on Monday in France, with no official bilateral meeting confirmed with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Summit Details and Participants
The summit will run from June 15 to 17 in Evian-Les-Bains, with leaders from Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Korea and India among the list of participants. Countries from the Gulf will also take part, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Trump is scheduled to arrive at the summit on Monday, just one day after he announced the U.S. has reached a peace deal with Iran and instructed the naval blockade to leave the Strait of Hormuz.
Peace Deal with Iran
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif first broke the news of the deal on Sunday, which includes the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. Pakistan has been mediating talks between the two countries.
Sharif said a signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday in Switzerland. However, the fate of the deal remains uncertain after Israel carried out strikes in the southern part of Lebanon on Saturday.
Tensions and Trade Disagreements
On Monday, Trump will face Carney and European leaders following many disagreements over NATO, Ukraine and trade since his return to the White House last year. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has also impacted G7 and global economies, amid rising oil prices.
Carney's European Trip
Carney’s summit appearance is the last stop on week-long trip to France and Ireland. On Friday, Carney signed an intelligence-sharing agreement with France, adding that the next world order will likely be built out of Europe.
Carney has looked to Canada’s European partners to help build out his trade diversification strategy, which aims to get Canada to rely less on trade with the U.S.
Domestic Criticism
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said despite Carney’s engagements abroad, he is not bringing home results and should repeal regulations to export more energy to European markets.
“Why can’t we get our goods to Europe? It’s not because the Europeans are shutting us out,” said Poilievre, during a press conference in Ottawa. “It’s because the Liberal government is shutting us in with anti-development laws.”
CUSMA Deadline and Expert Analysis
The trade file with the U.S. has gained momentum in recent weeks, with the July 1 deadline to renew the Canada-United-States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA) likely to pass without agreement between the three countries.
Fen Hampson, professor at the Norman School of International Affairs at Carleton University, said he would measure the success of the summit from a Canadian standpoint on whether Carney secures a meeting with Trump.
“A serious meeting between the two of them will be a very important indication of the tenor of the bilateral relationship between the two leaders going forward,” said Hampson.
