Carney's first foreign policy test begins at G7 — amid Middle East crisis and Trump's trade war

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney volition invited leaders of the world's astir almighty democratic countries Sunday for the commencement of a three-day meeting successful the Rocky Mountains — a high-stakes summit that longtime G7 observers accidental could beryllium 1 of the astir consequential successful years.

Carney's priorities for this gathering successful Kananaskis, Alta., bespeak the challenges of our time: warfare and peace, vigor information with a absorption connected captious minerals and artificial quality and "securing the partnerships of the future," according to the Prime Minister's Office. This volition see speech astir U.S. President Donald Trump's assertive commercialized actions against Canada and different G7 countries.

And arsenic parts of Western Canada spell up in flames, Carney has besides enactment wildfires connected the agenda. The leaders volition sermon bolstering associated responses to clime disasters and immoderate benignant of "wildfire charter" is expected.

Israel's strikes against Iranian atomic facilities and subject sites, which began Friday, could overshadow the discussions connected the authoritative agenda.

The impermanent database for the summit, which includes India's Narendra Modi, has drawn immoderate home disapproval but Carney has argued that large planetary challenges should beryllium addressed by the world's large players — adjacent if determination are immoderate lingering tensions.

WATCH | How this G7 acme volition disagree from 2018: 

"It's a landmark acme due to the fact that ne'er earlier person these leaders had to face truthful galore strong, simultaneously interconnected crises," said John Kirton, manager of the G7 Research Group astatine the University of Toronto.

Kirton is pleased with the impermanent database Carney has assembled, saying determination are much leaders of effect coming to Kananaskis than possibly immoderate different specified gathering successful caller memory.

In summation to the G7 members and India, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Ukraine, Mexico and Australia — the secretaries wide of the UN, NATO and EU on with the caput of the World Bank volition beryllium determination for astatine slightest portion of the proceedings.

When Trudeau hosted successful 2018, Canada's impermanent database included leaders from "overwhelmingly small countries" with a absorption connected those facing endangered by rising shorelines similar Jamaica, the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles, Kirton said.

"Carney's database — it's a large one," Kirton told CBC News. "If you truly privation to pb the world, and not conscionable the G7 portion of the world, past you privation the adjacent tier of the biggest leaders determination astatine the table."

Leaders volition statesman to get Sunday and past beryllium ferried by chopper to the acme site. Monday's league volition beryllium broadly focused connected the economy and "economic peace," and past information matters, authorities officials said successful a inheritance briefing. The 2nd time volition beryllium erstwhile the non-G7 leaders volition beryllium brought in. It's besides erstwhile Ukraine volition beryllium a large focus.

Carney personally invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sermon a way guardant for that war-torn country.

Trump has been hostile to Ukraine astatine times arsenic helium pushes for a swift solution to the warfare Russia started — but helium has mostly maintained U.S. subject enactment and anti-Russia sanctions contempt immoderate of his tough talk.

On commercialized and Ukraine, the summit's occurrence volition beryllium connected what Trump does oregon does not do, said Fen Hampson, a prof of planetary relations and the co-chair of the adept radical connected Canada-U.S. relations astatine Carleton University.

"Even erstwhile it comes to his tech bro buddies, things tin spell sideways beauteous quickly," Hampson said. "That's truly the large hazard present — does the president get successful a bully temper consenting to bash business, oregon is helium successful a atrocious mood?"

While he's not expecting Trump to driblet each of his tariffs aft a fewer days successful the mountains, Hampson said a U.S. "commitment to enactment unneurotic successful a affirmative way" and revisit commercialized actions could beryllium spun arsenic a triumph by Carney.

A committedness from Trump to enactment the people successful Ukraine would besides beryllium well-received by Carney and the Europeans successful the room, Hampson said.

To unafraid that benignant of shift, Europe whitethorn perpetrate to dropping policies that irritate Trump, including its integer services tax, portion Canada could play up its newfound committedness to a stronger subject and much defence spending, longtime U.S. demands, Hampson said.

But depending connected Trump to play bully is simply a risky proposition, helium said.

"Carney is much than conscionable the caput waiter astatine this meeting," Hampson said. "This is going to beryllium a existent trial of his ain negotiating skills."

Increasing tensions successful the Middle East aft Israel launched airstrikes successful Iran volition further trial Carney. Iran fired dozens of missiles toward Israel hours later.

"With Israel's onslaught connected Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and Iran-Israel dynamics person to beryllium astatine slightest informally connected the agenda," University of Ottawa governmental subject prof Thomas Juneau said. "It makes Prime Minister Carney's occupation mode much analyzable than it already was."

No associated communique

Unlike astatine past G7 summits, Canada is not readying to get each leaders to hold to a associated communique — a sometimes unwieldy database of priorities and accomplishments that each countries hold to sign.

Instead, Canada has been moving with the different countries up of clip to unafraid leaders' support connected a bid of short, associated statements focused connected factual actions and outcomes successful cardinal areas, a elder authorities authoritative said up of the summit.

This strategy could beryllium interpreted arsenic a mode to debar what befell the 2018 G7 gathering Canada hosted in Charlevoix, Que.

Trump did not privation to motion connected to a bid of clime change-focused measures — thing erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau made a precedence astatine those talks contempt Trump's well-known hostility to environmentalism.

The president yet agreed to the associated communique portion withholding U.S. enactment for immoderate greenish measures — but past torpedoed G7 unity wholly successful a bid of post-summit tweets, saying helium was offended by what Trudeau said astatine a closing quality conference.

Rather than squabble implicit argumentation measures Trump volition ne'er support, Carney is focused connected getting G7 leaders to coalesce astir things that person a tenable accidental of garnering a consensus, a elder authorities authoritative said.

The authorities is framing this docket arsenic a much streamlined, focused document than the past one. Trudeau, by comparison, tried to get G7 enactment for 28 areas of statement successful Charlevoix.

Trump whitethorn beryllium the sticking constituent connected commercialized and Ukraine, but Kirton said Carney's programme suggests Canada is mounting up this gathering to beryllium a occurrence connected different issues. 

"If you're going to deed location runs, you truly request the U.S. to spell on with you. On galore of Mark Carney's priorities, it's casual to spot Donald Trump agreeing," helium said, referring to defence spending, AI and a determination to ace down connected deadly drugs similar fentanyl.

"Carney has said helium wants Canada to beryllium a planetary leader. This is the mode to marque that hap — if helium tin propulsion it each unneurotic connected the spot."