Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: Former PM Chretien

Matthew Scace · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 3:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Former premier curate Jean Chretien says dignitaries attending the upcoming G7 leaders acme successful Alberta should debar engaging the "crazy" from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Chretien, speaking Thursday astatine a league successful Calgary, said leaders can't foretell what Trump mightiness do. He said the president tin beryllium a bully and it would beryllium champion if the remainder of the G7 leaders ignored immoderate outbursts.

"If helium has decided to marque a amusement to beryllium successful the news, helium volition bash thing crazy," helium said.

"Let him bash it and support talking normally."

Chretien said leaders should travel the illustration acceptable by Prime Minister Mark Carney erstwhile helium visited Trump astatine the White House past month.

"When Trump talked astir Canada to beryllium portion of the United States, [Carney] just said 'Canada is not for sale, the White House is not for sale, Buckingham Palace is not for sale,'" Chretien said.

"Trump said, 'Never accidental never,' [but Carney] didn't adjacent reply. He conscionable moved connected with the discussion. It's the mode to grip that."

Carney is hosting Trump and satellite leaders from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union for the three-day acme starting Sunday successful Kananaskis, located successful the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary.

Chretien, speaking alongside his erstwhile lawman premier curate and concern curate John Manley, besides said helium supported Carney's determination to invitation India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit.

Carney has been criticized for the invitation, including by a subordinate of his ain Liberal caucus, owed to ongoing tensions betwixt Canada and India implicit overseas interference and the 2023 sidesplitting of Sikh separatism activistic Hardeep Singh Nijjar successful B.C. The RCMP has said it has grounds linking members of the Indian authorities to Singh's death.

"It's ever bully to talk," Chretien said of the Modi invite. "They volition beryllium capable to speech and they volition spot determination are different problems.

"You person to navigate. You cannot ever spell connected your precocious equine for each small occupation you're confronted with."

Chretien was 1 of 2 erstwhile Canadian premier ministers speaking astatine the conference, hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and the G7 Research Group.

The assemblage says the league is meant to bring experts and officials unneurotic to explicate cardinal issues G7 leaders are facing heading into the summit.

Former premier curate Joe Clark, calved successful High River, Alta., closed retired the league by urging greater ties with the U.K. and France. He besides offered akin proposal not to entertain immoderate nationalist theatre Trump whitethorn prosecute successful during the summit.

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate constituent successful throwing up our hands oregon criticizing [Trump]," Clark said.

"I deliberation it would beryllium omniscient to person much backstage dealings and less nationalist dealings until the proclivities of the U.S. president change."

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith besides spoke astatine the conference.

She said the anticipation of an economical and information woody betwixt Canada and the United States being signed astatine the G7 would beryllium an bonzer step.

She urged Canada to proceed uncovering caller trading partners, adjacent if the narration betwixt the 2 countries begins to creaseless over.

"Let's not instrumentality our ft disconnected the gas," Smith said.

David Angell, existent overseas and defence argumentation advisor to Carney, said connected a abstracted sheet that the satellite leaders are gathering "at a infinitesimal of tremendous flux globally, erstwhile tensions among G7 members are particularly pronounced."

Carney announced Monday he's readying for Canada to conscionable NATO's spending line by aboriginal adjacent year.

Angell, a erstwhile Canadian ambassador to NATO, said the state made a mistake successful allowing the defence manufacture to "shift onto a benignant of presumption of peacetime footing."

He said the G7 tin beryllium exceptionally consequential and nary different process allows for treatment astir the "wicked issues" halfway to defence issues.