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Deja Vu Anyone???
Donald Trump's relationship with Russia keeps raising eyebrows
Trump’s appeal for Russian re-entry to a revived G8 generates more suspicion than support
History will have to judge whether President Donald Trump is really the master of the 'art of the deal'. But he's certainly a master of distracting attention from one crisis by starting another.
His last-minute call (literally made as he boarded his helicopter) for Russia to be welcomed back into the Group of Seven is a perfect example of Trump's talent for changing the subject.
Perhaps his only goal was to set the cat among the pigeons who were waiting to lecture him about trade in Charlevoix. If so, he succeeded — with Italy's russophile Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte backing him on Twitter within minutes.
Translated roughly from the Italian, Conte's tweet said: "I agree with President @realDonaldTrump: Russia should be back in the G8. It is in everyone's interest."
Trump's statement caused consternation among the other allies — including the Canadians, who declared that Canada would oppose any such move until Russia rolls back its annexation of Crimea. That almost certainly will not happen as long as Vladimir Putin controls Russia.
For British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump's statement was an even more painful slap.
She had just landed in Canada after telling the British press corps on her plane that one of her goals in Charlevoix was to seek unity from her G7 peers in confronting Russia, which her government has formally accused of being behind a nerve gas attack in March targeting a former Russian spy and his daughter. She also said she wanted to discuss her plan for stronger cyber-defences aimed at countering Russian cyber-mischief.
Her spokesperson was already in the difficult position of explaining why the lack of a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump was not a snub. And now this. So much for the 'special relationship'.
President
Donald Trump arrives for the family photo during the G-7 Summit,
Friday, June 8, 2018, in Charlevoix, Canada. From left, President of the
European Council Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Theresa May,
Trump, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
"Nothing has changed"
"From what we saw at the time, Putin was very upset at being expelled from the G8 in 2014," said Seva Gunitsky, who teaches political science at the University of Toronto. "He saw membership as a symbol of the kind of recognition he wanted for Russia as a great and respected country.
"So permission to re-enter the G8 is really a very valuable bargaining chip. And yet Trump seems willing to give him this prize with no preconditions.
"Let's not forget Putin was expelled for occupying Crimea and nothing about that situation has changed."
Gunitsky said Trump's trial balloon, "part of a pattern of bizarre choices," will only inflame suspicions that the U.S. president is beholden to Russia in some mysterious way.
Robert Bothwell is a professor of International Relations at the Munk School of Global Affairs, specializing in Cold War history and Canada-Russia relations. He said he believes the notion that the U.S. president is a Russian agent of influence is now being seriously entertained in defence and intelligence circles in Washington.
"I'm trying to think of more than one or two occasions when he was critical of Russia or Putin," he said.
Bothwell said that Canada's disapproving attitude toward Russia is similar to that of U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis or others in the U.S. defence establishment, but is far removed from that of the U.S. president.
Putin the Borgia
Bothwell said there are a few valid reasons to argue for a closer relationship with Russia — a desire to lower tensions, for example, and to respond to Russia's newfound influence in the Middle East.
"But there's also the moral question," he said. "Russians abroad have a bad habit of dying suddenly. Russian dissidents at home have a lot of accidents with staircases and so on.
"In a way it becomes like the West's attitude to Tsarist Russia, that it just was not a decent place. It matters when you look across the table and see a character who could be straight out of the fifteenth century and you have to wonder what he put in your tea."
Liberal MP John MacKay raised another concern: how to discuss issues of security cooperation in the presence of a geopolitical rival.
"I don't know how any member of the G7, including the president of the United States, could be even mildly cognizant of any kind of security analysis and invite Mr. Putin into the G7," he said.
He also appeared to question Trump's motives. "Mr. Putin made a significant intrusion into the U.S. election and it's paid off big-time for him."
Merkel in the middle
If Trump and Italy's Conte represent the more Russia-friendly end of the G7 spectrum, and Canada and the U.K. are the most hostile, Germany's Angela Merkel falls somewhere in the middle.
In La Malbaie yesterday, she said that "the conditions had not yet been met" to re-admit Russia to the G7, but her tone was more measured than that of her Canadian hosts.
The East German-raised chancellor has often warned that it is dangerous and counter-productive to isolate and demonize Russia. She has made an effort to keep channels open with Putin, traveling to Sochi to meet with him just three weeks ago.
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel greets Russian President Vladimir Putin upon
his arrival for the first day of the G20 economic summit on July 7, 2017
in Hamburg, Germany. (Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images)
She has also resisted U.S. pressure to cancel the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Russia, and in April she travelled to Washington to lobby against new U.S. sanctions on Moscow.
Merkel is the West's senior statesperson, a wise political survivor who grew up in a landscape that had been laid waste by the Red Army's conquest of Nazi Germany. That left her with a strong instinct to lower tensions and act as a bridge between Russia and the West.
But "Germany is not in the pro-Russia camp by any means," said Gunitsky.
Merkel's stance partly reflects Germany's energy dependence on Russia, he said, and is tempered by a healthy suspicion.
Affinity with authoritarians
Trump couched his appeal for Russia in a revived G8 in the language of realpolitik — the argument that, in the real world, you have to deal with your rivals and enemies as well as your friends.
But his remarks reminded many American observers that he has been unusually friendly with those enemies — picking fights with U.S. allies while praising North Korea's Kim Jong Un as "very honourable," for example.
Republican Senator John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, condemned Trump's appeal from his home in Arizona, where he is battling terminal cancer.
"The President has inexplicably shown our adversaries the deference and esteem that should be reserved for our closest allies. Those nations that share our values and have sacrificed alongside us for decades are being treated with contempt.
"This is the antithesis of so-called 'principled realism' and a sure path to diminishing America's leadership in the world."
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Trump slams G7 for kicking out Russia
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LIVE | Putin Takes Questions from Biggest Western Journalists at SPIEF 2025 in St. Petersburg | APT
Peter MacKay Shuts Down the Return of Russia to the G7
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President Trump Departs from G7 Summit in Canada for The Situation Room in Washington, DC [LIVE]
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Forbes Breaking NewsJUST IN: President Trump Explains Why He's Leaving The G7 Early As Israel, Iran Tensions Escalate
Forbes Breaking News990 Comments
From: Albanrese, Anthony (MP) <A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au>
Date: Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 1:28 PM
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Press conference - Kananaskis, Canada
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's been a very productive day here at the G7. And I want to firstly thank Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, for the generous invitation for Australia to participate in the G7 – the second time that I've been able to participate. As the world is watching the developments in the Middle East, it is our collective responsibility to work together to uphold and defend security and economic prosperity. And the G7 brings together major economies and democratic countries. This morning, I met German Chancellor Merz. We met on the sidelines of the Papal inauguration Mass in Rome. But today we had our first bilateral. We discussed how we can deepen our economic and infrastructure ties through our Enhanced Strategic Partnership with further trade and business cooperation in the energy transition. We also reiterated our commitment to counter Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and the need to uphold international law.
I had a meeting this morning with US Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, which was a good opportunity to put forward Australia's position on tariffs. We also discussed how Australia can support the United States on critical minerals. Australia has endorsed the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan today, which increases cooperation to build standards-based markets, mobilise capital, and promote innovation. This opens up the prospect of further expansion of the Australian critical minerals and rare earths industry. And, as you'd be aware, we made a number of commitments over the last couple of years in this area, including production tax credits, including the strategic reserve that we announced during the election campaign.
Australia, of course, on critical minerals and rare earths, has essentially the periodic table and has, indeed, 36 of the critical minerals and rare earths that have been identified by the United States. We also met – and they participated in the latter meeting with the Treasury Secretary as well – the US Director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, and US trade Representative Jamieson Greer. We made the point very clearly to the American Trade Representative and to the National Economic Council and to the Treasury Secretary that the FTA has delivered for both Australia and the United States for a couple of decades now. And that the United States has a 2:1 trade surplus in the US’ favour since the 1950s.
I also had an excellent bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba of Japan. Japan and Australia share a Special Strategic Partnership which is closer than ever. And next year we will commemorate 50 years of a partnership and a relationship that we have. And we talked about doing something special to recognise that. Our long standing bilateral trade and investment ties are a key pillar of our relationship, and we also discussed our defence relationship, but also how we can collaborate on the net zero transition.
I also met my good friend, Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We welcomed the progress that we have made to bolster the UK-Australia relationship, including under the Australia-UK Climate and Energy Partnership that we announced last year, including as well the Free Trade Agreement, which has been very effective in increasing two-way trade. And also, of course, our commitment to AUKUS. And we talked about Stephen Lovegrove's report, which is welcomed. And we discussed continuing to work together on both AUKUS Pillar I and AUKUS Pillar II. And Prime Minister Starmer invited me to the United Kingdom over the coming period.
I did express our appreciation for Prime Minister Starmer's personal leadership on Ukraine, along with President Macron. The work that they've been doing to put together the Coalition of the Willing is something that I've participated on phone hook-ups and at least two of those meetings that have been held virtually over recent months, including one during the election campaign. I note that Australia has announced further sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet today. And that mirrors announcements by other nations that are represented here.
The G7 session on energy security was an important opportunity to outline Australia's energy transition plans, our commitment to climate action, and our role as a trusted supplier of energy and critical minerals. I also spoke about Australia's leadership on AI and other transformative new technologies, which was the topic of the second session of the G7 and Partners.
We held trilateral discussions with President von der Leyen of the European Commission and President Costa of the European Council. And I'm pleased to announce today that we will commence negotiations on a Security and Defence Partnership with the European Union. We see this as an important framework for our current and future cooperation in areas like defence industry, cyber, and counter-terrorism. And we will have our respective Ministers progress that over coming weeks. But we hope to conclude those discussions pretty quickly.
In addition to that, over the day, I had discussions with President Macron of France, Prime Minister Modi of India, Prime Minister Ramaphosa of South Africa, Prime Minister Sheinbaum of Mexico, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, as well as saying g'day to a whole bunch of other people during the day. There's a real opportunity for Australia to engage with a range of partners. We're a trading nation. And a theme that we had in all of those discussions was, of course, the support for free and fair trade as well as the support for economic growth at a time which has been turbulent across a range of areas. Happy to take some questions. Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. You'll learn eventually, Andrew.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, has President Trump contacted you since cancelling your meeting, and what is your plan now to meet with the President?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, he hasn't, but I spoke with key advisers to the President. The
President has been engaged, obviously, with the circumstances around
Iran and Israel. It's perfectly understandable the decision that he
made, that meant that the meetings that were scheduled – not just with
myself, but with India, Ukraine including President Zelenskyy, Mexico,
and other countries – didn't go ahead today. But we're all mature about
that. We understand the circumstances which are there. And we have
agreed through our American friends that we’ll reschedule the meeting.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, last night as President Trump was flying home he told
media on the plane ‘I did everything I had to do on the G7’. Do you take
that as perhaps that Australia is not a priority at this G7 Summit?
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. We're mature about the circumstances of what happened. It's perfectly understandable. We'll reschedule a meeting from time to time. That is what occurs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, may I ask about your discussion with Kier Starmer and specifically in relation to the AUKUS pact? It has been reported that Keir Starmer and Donald Trump both backed (inaudible) out of their bilateral meetings. Did Mr. Starmer give you any sense that Donald Trump is, in fact, in favour of the AUKUS pact?
PRIME MINISTER: Well,
I've seen nothing to suggest otherwise. It's not to me to speak on
behalf of others, whether it's President Trump or Prime Minister
Starmer. But Prime Minister Starmer, of course, has made public
statements and the US Defence Secretary has made a clear statement as
well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister I just wondered
if there's at least disappointment, maybe some devastation in the fact
that you built up for so long. You said the other day it took months of
work to get this meeting with Donald Trump. And from what you're saying,
there's no clear date for when you might meet. Do you have any sense of
that yet? Do you have some significant disappointment that you failed
to get the meeting this time?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll meet soon. And I'm sure that will occur. You know, from time to time, meetings are rescheduled. That's what happens.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister is the making the case for an exemption on a tariff or particular type of tariffs going to advance until you do meet the President, or is it going to continue through the – ?
PRIME MINISTER: No, that's progressing, including through officials. It was a good opportunity, the Treasury Secretary has met Jim Chalmers on two occasions previously. It was a real opportunity to meet three of the President's senior economic team together. And previously, as well, earlier on in the day to have a meeting with the Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer. He's been discussing things with Senator Farrell as well as with the Australian representatives here – in the United States in Washington D.C. So we'll continue to engage. Those discussions have taken place over a period of time. And we'll continue to engage constructively.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you weighing up now – given everything that’s happening in the world, your ties with these allies – potentially consideration going to the NATO meeting?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, that's being considered.
JOURNALIST: Did you get a chance with the Americans today to put your case forward on defence spending?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, the priority – that wasn't a focus. The focus was very much – with the economic team – about tariffs and about trade and the economic position.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Jamieson Greer has been a vocal critic –
PRIME MINISTER: It’s hard to hear. Sorry.
JOURNALIST: Jamieson Greer has been a vocal critic of trade restrictions with Australia particularly beef and the News Bargaining Code. Did those issues come up today? And, if so, what are the remedies that they’re seeking in relation to those?
PRIME MINISTER: We discussed the News Bargaining Code. I explained the position of what it is, that it's not something that produces revenue for the Government. It's something that we want – the platforms to negotiate in good faith with the producers of product that they use to make money. And so, we put forward the News Bargaining Code. We think it is important. I outlined what the issues were and are with that and why we believe it should be given support. Importantly, it's not a tax paid to the Government. It's not something that produces revenue for us. Indeed, it produces revenue for you and the people in this room. And I think that's an important part of a democracy going forward.
JOURNALIST: On the Free Trade Agreement, it seems that both parties want to get a deal done as soon as possible. You said that yourself in the comments. I understand that Ursula von der Leyen is meant to come to Australia in the next few months. Is it your expectation that you'll be able to sign a deal or agree to something by then?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I'm hopeful, but we were close last time and didn't quite get there. So, unless the deal is in Australia's national interest, then we won't agree to it. But there are two or three issues, half of which have been resolved, I think, satisfactorily. We'll continue to put forward our view of an increase in the offer which is there for our sheep meat and our beef. We'll continue to engage constructively. And I am hopeful that we'll get a deal done. Importantly, both of us emphasise that, at this time, it’s the substance is what's important. But at this time it's also symbolically important to see an outcome of an expansion of trade, because that is something that is, you know, going through difficult times at the moment.
JOURNALIST: Can I just follow that up? You said that some of the issues had been resolved. I know you hinted last time that the naming issues around naming conventions, are you saying that the EU has conceded on that?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm saying that there's sight of where the landing point could be. What tends to happen with this is that there are landing points identified, and they all come together. You know, you usually have a bit of give and take, and they're all either landed together or they're not. But it's pretty obvious, I think, the landing point on that.
JOURNALIST: Did Mr. Trump, sorry – did the senior officials from the US in your meetings this morning operate in consolation of Mr. Trump's absence and could you please clarify how you found out that the meeting would effectively not happen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they made it very, you know – we made it clear. It's understandable what's occurring in the Middle East. President Trump has made very public the reasons why he went back to Washington. And there was a meeting of the NSC.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned that it wasn't just Australia that didn't get a meeting, other countries didn't get meetings, too, including Mexico. But the White House has confirmed that in the last 24 hours a phone call has taken place between the US President and the Mexican President. Would you appreciate a phone call as well from Donald Trump?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, you know, I'm not driven by issues like that. I'm driven – I understand that there's important things happening. And that's understandable at the moment. I'm mature about these things.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've obviously had discussions with Sir Kier Starmer, with Frederick Merz, Chancellor Merz made some pretty strong comments about Israel doing the – I think he used the term the dirty work for other nations – in terms of dealing with Iran. Sir Kier Starmer has repositioned Tornado fighter jets in the Middle East. In the course of the meetings that you've had today, did any nation request Australia potentially sending, for example, naval assets to the region to provide support? And is that something the Australian Government is considering?
PRIME MINISTER:
No. And what the discussions I've always had with our European friends
always is, is they understand that our priority is where we are in the
world. And so, no, is the clear answer to that.
JOURNALIST:
Yeah, thanks Prime Minister. Have you reached out to Donald Trump to
extend your support via text or whatever, as he deals, as he grapples
with this big conflict in the Middle East? And Richard Marles overnight
said that the Government had been briefed on this plan. So, Donald Trump
says he's got something to plan that's much bigger than a ceasefire.
So, can you affirm if you've been briefed or the Government's been
briefed on that? And whether or not you've extended your support to
Donald Trump?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we have been briefed. And I don't talk about briefings in media conferences.
JOURNALIST: Secretary Bessent has, in the past, put forward America's case for tariffs, using your own language. Have you got a landing point with the Secretary or with the US on where Australia and America could come to the same point on tariffs, like you do with the EU?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, my clear point is that it's in the United States’ interest because they have a trade surplus with Australia for that trade to not just continue but to be enhanced. And there are opportunities to do that across a range of issues that are in demand, including critical minerals and rare earths. But Australia continues to – importantly – continues to export to the United States. It's just that the purchasers of those goods and services are paying more for them. So, there hasn't been a decline year to year, for example, in beef exports, April this year to April last year, to the United States. It's just that there's an additional charge being paid by consumers. We talked about steel and aluminium as well. Aluminium represents around about 2 per cent of the imports to the United States. Steel is less than that. We talked about the role that BlueScope play, the fact that they want to have additional investment in Ohio. And that is currently subject to an impediment being there. So, it's very much in – there's about four and a half thousand employees of BlueScope in the United States of America. It's very much in the United States’ interest to resolve this.
JOURNALIST: You said just earlier you’re considering now going to NATO. Trump's going to NATO. Is this your plan now for a meeting with him next week?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I'm considering – I had discussions with a range of people over the last couple of days. Obviously, including, I met with the NATO Secretary General yesterday. He's well known to me, but I had discussions with others here as well. Thanks.
Trump snubs meeting with Albanese, cuts short G7 visit | 9 News Australia
9 News Australia‘True friends’: PM reaffirms relationship with Canada following G7 bilateral meeting
Sky News Australia‘Complete humiliation’: Donald Trump ‘snubs’ Anthony Albanese at G7
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This is some of the CBC propaganda
Trump arrives in Alberta for G7 summit
CBC News PM Carney and wife welcome G7 guests to Kananaskis
CBC News Trump, Carney meet ahead of G7 working session in Kananaskis
CBC News G7 Day 1 'could not have gone better' for Canada, says Trump's former sherpa | Power & Politics
CBC News Trump leaving G7 summit early to handle Middle East crisis: White House | Hanomansing Tonight
CBC News Trump leaving G7 summit early to handle Middle East crisis: White House | Hanomansing Tonight
CBC News Trump suggests Canada may face more tariffs despite earlier talk of trade deal
CBC News Carney, Trump to sit down Monday ahead of G7 start as work continues on tariff deal
PM looking to secure a trade deal to see the U.S. tariffs lifted
In his first big test at the G7, Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday morning, according to an official in his office.
The Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders will sit down one-on-one before the main talks with the other leaders officially get underway.
Carney has been keen to ink a deal with Trump on trade and security, and for the U.S. president to drop his punishing tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and the auto industry.
Earlier this week CBC/Radio-Canada reported Canada and the U.S. appear to be making progress toward some sort of trade agreement.
Sources with direct knowledge of the situation said a working document outlining details of a potential deal has been sent back and forth between Ottawa and Washington.
The document is considered a step toward the overall goal of reaching a deal, but sources cautioned work needs to be done before there's an agreement.
Carney is far from the only world leader seeking Trump's ear during his trip to Kananaskis, Alta., as his administration pushes an aggressive trade position that's shaking up global markets.
The leaders of some of the most powerful democracies will begin landing in Alberta on Sunday ahead of the high-stakes gathering, spread across Kananaskis and Banff and set against the scenery of the Canadian Rockies.
This year's gathering will largely be judged on whether a group built on consensus can actually get along.
The G7 — which includes the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union — has met annually for the past 50 years to form a co-ordinated voice on major issues, including trade and economics, security and climate change.
No joint communiqué
But the group has become more fractured over the years. The last time Trump attended a G7 in Canada back in 2018, he sent the gathering into disarray and withheld U.S. support from the joint communiqué typically issued at the end of the summit.
This year, Canadian organizers are taking a different route and are forgoing the traditional list of priorities and accomplishments that all countries agree to sign.
Instead, Canada is looking to secure leaders' approval on a series of short, joint statements focused on concrete actions and outcomes in key areas, a senior government official said ahead of the summit.
What are Canada’s objectives for the G7 summit?This year, Carney has set a list of priorities reflective of the challenging state of the world. They include: war and peace; energy security, with a focus on critical minerals and artificial intelligence; and "securing the partnerships of the future," according to the Prime Minister's Office.
With parts of Western Canada still grappling with a devastating fire season, Carney has also put wildfires on the agenda.
In addition to the G7 members, leaders from India, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Ukraine, Mexico and Australia have been invited for at least part of the proceedings, along with the secretaries general of the United Nations, NATO and the European Union and the head of the World Bank.
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Trudeau's eyebrows at G7 set social media off
Trump arrives late and leaves early as G7 leaders talk gender, oceans and climate
After summit's trade-heavy start, Trudeau shifts conversation to other global issues
After an opening day dominated by trade talk, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shifted the G7 conversation to other pressing global issues on Saturday — climate change and empowering women — but at least one leader opted to skip part of the day's meetings.
U.S. President Donald Trump left La Malbaie, Que., early, before G7 leaders were scheduled to have a working session on protecting the world's oceans and redoubling efforts to stave off catastrophic climate change.
But Trump caused a stir even before his early departure by arriving late for the gender-focused breakfast session, billed by Canadian officials as a chance for leaders to draft "concrete actions for the G7 to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.
Trudeau had welcomed everyone to the session, and Isabelle Hudon, Canada's ambassador to France, was making opening remarks when Trump walked into the room with his officials and members of his press pool. French President Emmanuel Macron gestured to Trump to his seat at the rectangular table — across from Macron's own place — and then winked at the U.S. leader.
IMF
Managing Director Lagarde, centre, points towards the empty seat of
U.S. President Donald Trump next to her, as she speaks with Chancellor
of Germany Angela Merkel, left, during the G7 leaders summit in La
Malbaie, Que., on Saturday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
As Trump quietly took his place between Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, and Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, the Canadian head of the NATO college in Rome, Trudeau restated his welcome and Hudon repeated her remarks.
Donald Trump's late arrival to G7 breakfast on empowering womenTrudeau appointed the Gender Equality Advisory Council — co-chaired by Hudon and Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — to advise him on recommendations to make at Saturday's meeting with other world leaders.
The council suggested, among other things, funding for "developing and conflict-affected countries" to improve access to a minimum of 12 years of free, safe and quality "gender-responsive education."
Trump ducked out mid-morning to begin his nearly 20-hour journey to Singapore where he is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12, a tete-a-tete designed to encourage the rogue state to end its nuclear program.
Before his departure, Trump held a wide-ranging press conference, in which he repeated his position that Canada and other U.S. trading partners must eliminate trade barriers, including supply management for Canada's dairy sector, if they hope to achieve new trade deals with the United States.
Final communique uncertain
At most G7 summits, the assembled leaders generally sign off on a communique committing their respective countries to a series of objectives.
With Canada as president of this summit, Trudeau and his "sherpas" — negotiators in the language of global forums — have settled on five broad themes for this year:
- Investing in growth that works for everyone.
- Preparing for jobs of the future.
- Advancing gender equality and women's empowerment.
- Working together on climate change, oceans and clean energy.
- Building a more peaceful and secure world.
A senior Canadian official, speaking to reporters on background Friday, conceded the U.S. has been non-committal about putting its signature on a final communique but they will not let U.S. intransigence derail the agenda.
It's a potentially embarrassing development for the Canadians, and a sign Trudeau couldn't persuade all his G7 counterparts to embrace unity.
But, until recently, G7 summits didn't have to contend with the likes of Trump, who has made it a hallmark of his presidency to reject the established orthodoxy.
Trudeau
greets Trump during the official welcoming ceremony on Friday. The two
leaders held an hour-long bilateral meeting later in the day and
discussed moving NAFTA talks along. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Last year at the G7 summit in Italy, Trump and his officials balked at some of the language relating to global efforts to address climate change — the leaders could not produce a consensus statement that Trump would sign — a move that foreshadowed his eventual withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord a week later.
"I won't prejudge the outcome of the negotiations and discussions that are still happening. Our sherpas are working around the clock, extremely hard, that hasn't changed. There are disagreements with the U.S in particular on a number of issues but we've been really realistic about that from the very beginning," the government official said.
"The objective is always to reach a consensus as much as possible but not to gloss over any really significant differences that we're unable to resolve," they said.
Trump himself said Friday, "I think we'll have a joint statement," when asked if the leaders could come to an agreement.
After the U.K.'s recent push to have Commonwealth countries sign on to a single-use plastics ban — things like straws and coffee stirrers — G7 leaders will also discuss the proliferation of plastics in the world's oceans.
Canada will advocate for a "plastics charter" at the summit, a Paris-style agreement for the cleanup of ocean garbage and to divert the eight million tonnes of plastic that enter the world's oceans each year.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has said the charter will focus on a high-level policy approach that includes targets for reducing the amount of garbage in the world's oceans, that asks individual nations to come up with domestic plans to meet those targets, works with industry to develop less harmful products, and which funds developing nations to create better waste disposal systems to keep plastics from ending up in the water.
Also expected Saturday, sessions with so-called "outreach countries," countries not part of the G7 but invited by the host nation for discussions on ocean and coastal protections. Trudeau invited:
- Argentina.
- Bangladesh.
- Haiti.
- Jamaica.
- Kenya.
- Marshall Islands.
- Norway.
- Rwanda.
- Senegal.
- Seychelles.
- South Africa.
- Vietnam.
Following that working session, Trudeau will meet with small island developing states, countries grappling with immediate impacts of global warming — and a group of nations which could also be called upon to back Canada's bid for a UN Security Council seat.
G7 unity torpedoed by angry Trump tweets dismissing Trudeau as 'dishonest & weak'
U.S. president threatens again to impose auto tariffs moments after PM's closing news conference
It took just two tweets by U.S. President Donald Trump to shatter what seemed like a fragile consensus reached by G7 leaders after tense talks at their Quebec summit this weekend and raise the spectre of an all-out trade war with Canada.
The tweets, sent as Trump was en route to Singapore for his summit with North Korea, were personal and aimed squarely at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Just moments after the official joint communiqué was released outlining 28 areas of agreement by all seven nations — with a few exceptions — Trump tweeted he was instructing his officials to withdraw support for the communiqué.
And he had suggested more dire consequences were to come.
"I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!" Trump tweeted.
In a second tweet, Trump said his ire was prompted by Trudeau's comments at his closing news conference.
"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, "US Tariffs were kind of insulting" and he "will not be pushed around." Very dishonest & weak," Trump tweeted.
It is unclear if Trump's tweet will have any meaningful impact — the U.S. had already endorsed the communiqué hours earlier before Trump left for Asia — beyond further fraying relations between the two countries and threatening the legacy of Trudeau's time as host of the summit. A report from the pool travelling with Trump said there had been no indication of a withdrawal from the G7 communiqué.
Around four hours ago an administration official informed your pooler by mail "President Trump has joined the Charlevoix G7 Summit Communique."
A spokesperson for Trudeau responded to Trump's tweets by saying the government remained focused on "everything we accomplished here at the summit."
"The prime minister said nothing he hasn't said before — both in public, and in private conversations with the President," Cameron Ahmad tweeted.
A reporter shouted questions at Trudeau on Saturday evening when he was spotted strolling around the Fairmont Le Manoir property, the site of the summit, with Argentinian President Mauricio Macri.
He was asked for his reaction to Trump's tweets, and his thoughts on what Trump's move could mean for the future of the G7.
Canada's
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Argentina's President Mauricio Macri
walk at the G7 leaders summit in La Malbaie, Que. Trudeau didn't answer
reporter questions about Trump's tweets. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Trudeau didn't answer the questions.
"Good to see you guys," Trudeau said. "It's a beautiful evening, a great weekend."
'We won't be pushed around'
It appeared that last-minute lobbying efforts by the Canadian delegation had secured agreement by all the leaders for a joint communiqué from the G7 summit, a victory Trudeau announced at his late afternoon news conference.
But Trudeau was pressed by reporters to respond to Trump's tough talk on trade before he departed the summit early to fly to Singapore — and it's those remarks that seem to be the source of Trump's ire.
Despite his insistence that the United States would continue to extract concessions from allies on trade, Trump had praised his relationship with Canada, France and Germany in his earlier news conference.
"I would say that the level of relationship is a 10. We have a great relationship. Angela and Emmanuel and Justin. I would say the relationship is a 10," Trump said.
And he suggested Canada and the U.S. were closing in on a NAFTA deal that included a sunset clause — "We're pretty close on the sunset provision. OK?"
Trudeau shut down such optimism, insisting it is a non-starter.
Trudeau closing press conference at G7 summit"There will not be a sunset clause. Canada has been unequivocal. We cannot, we will not sign a trade deal that expires automatically every five years. That is not a trade deal. So, that's not on the table," he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Canada's chief political negotiator on this file, could be seen nodding vigorously in agreement in the audience of the Trudeau news conference.
Despite Trump's warning that Canada, Mexico and the European Union should think twice before retaliating against the U.S. for levy tariffs on aluminum and steel, Trudeau said his government was still pushing ahead with its plan to impose more than $16.5 billion worth of tariffs on U.S. goods as of July 1.
"[Trump] expressed to me he thought that would be a mistake and I certainly agree that it's not something that we want to do.
"We do not want to harm American workers … but the administration's choice to impose illegal and unacceptable tariffs, illegitimate and unacceptable tariffs to Canadian steel workers and auto workers and on the Canadian economy, must be met with an equivalent response."
Trump said Saturday that the U.S. would win any trade war, vowing to ramp up combative trade actions — even against some of his country's closest allies — or curtail trade altogether if partners cannot agree to more favourable terms for America.
He said the current system of international trade has badly damaged U.S. interests while giving an advantage to others.
"We're like the piggy bank that everybody's robbing, and that ends," he said, taking aim at Canada's supply managed dairy sector in particular.
"We will not be pushed around," Trudeau countered in his news conference.
Agreement on girls' education
The flare-up threatened to overshadow the successes Trudeau claimed coming out of his first G7 summit as host:
- An agreement by Canada, the EU, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the World Bank to invest more than $3.8 billion in education for women and girls in crisis and conflict situations as proof the often fractious summit produced some meaningful results. The U.S. supported the initiative in principle, Trudeau said, but had not yet made a financial commitment.
- Agreement by five of the seven nations to an oceans protection plan and a plan to eradicate plastic pollution, with the U.S. and Japan remaining offside. Trudeau said Canada also plans to invest $162 million to protect coastal communities.
- A statement on combating climate change, with the U.S. the lone holdout.
- A call for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arsenal and for Russia "to cease its destabilizing behaviour to undermine democratic systems" and its support of Syria.
- A pledge to work together to "enforce existing international rules and develop new rules where needed to foster a truly level playing field" on trade.
Need for 'rules-based trade'
Talk at the two-day summit had been dominated by discussion of Trump's move to impose punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the EU — a move French President Emmanual Macron has called "illegal and a mistake" under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Speaking before the communiqué was officially released Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed the importance of the endorsement of rules on trade.
G7 and European Union leaders pose for a photograph during the G7 leaders summit in La Malbaie, Que., on Friday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
"For us it was important that we have a commitment to a rule-based trade order, that we continue to fight against protectionism and that we want to reform the World Trade Organization," Merkel told reporters Saturday afternoon.
Merkel said there was a broad agreement among G7 leaders that tariffs and other trade barriers should be reduced.
"These are jointly shared principles, although the pitfalls lie in the detail," she said.
But after Trump's Twitter bombshell, one of Trudeau's comments at his news conference seemed to take on new meaning.
"If the expectation was that a weekend in beautiful Charlevoix was going to transform the president's outlook on trade and the world, then we didn't quite perhaps meet that bar," Trudeau said.
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Carney's first foreign policy test begins at G7 — amid Middle East crisis and Trump's trade war
This summit could be one of the most consequential in years: experts
Prime Minister Mark Carney will welcome leaders of the world's most powerful democratic countries Sunday for the start of a three-day meeting in the Rocky Mountains — a high-stakes summit that longtime G7 observers say could be one of the most consequential in years.
Carney's priorities for this gathering in Kananaskis, Alta., reflect the challenges of our time: war and peace, energy security with a focus on critical minerals and artificial intelligence and "securing the partnerships of the future," according to the Prime Minister's Office. This will include talk about U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive trade actions against Canada and other G7 countries.
And as parts of Western Canada go up in flames, Carney has also put wildfires on the agenda. The leaders will discuss bolstering joint responses to climate disasters and some sort of "wildfire charter" is expected.
Israel's strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites, which began Friday, could overshadow the discussions on the official agenda.
The guest list for the summit, which includes India's Narendra Modi, has drawn some domestic criticism but Carney has argued that big global challenges should be addressed by the world's big players — even if there are some lingering tensions.
Why won't there be a leaders' communiqué coming out of the G7 summit? | Power & Politics"It's a landmark summit because never before have these leaders had to confront so many strong, simultaneously interconnected crises," said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
Kirton is pleased with the guest list Carney has assembled, saying there are more leaders of consequence coming to Kananaskis than perhaps any other such meeting in recent memory.
Prime
Minister Mark Carney will not have world leaders sign on to one joint
communique, a decision that may be influenced by U.S. President Donald
Trump withholding American support for some provisions in the 2018
document. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
In addition to the G7 members and India, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Ukraine, Mexico and Australia — the secretaries general of the UN, NATO and EU along with the head of the World Bank will be there for at least part of the proceedings.
When Trudeau hosted in 2018, Canada's guest list included leaders from "overwhelmingly little countries" with a focus on those facing endangered by rising shorelines like Jamaica, the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles, Kirton said.
"Carney's list — it's a great one," Kirton told CBC News. "If you really want to lead the world, and not just the G7 part of the world, then you want the next tier of the biggest leaders there at the table."
Leaders will begin to arrive Sunday and then be ferried by helicopter to the summit site. Monday's session will be broadly focused on the economy and "economic peace," and then security matters, government officials said in a background briefing. The second day will be when the non-G7 leaders will be brought in. It's also when Ukraine will be a major focus.
Fellow G7 member French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Carney personally invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a path forward for that war-torn country.
Trump has been hostile to Ukraine at times as he pushes for a swift resolution to the war Russia started — but he has largely maintained U.S. military support and anti-Russia sanctions despite some of his tough talk.
On trade and Ukraine, the summit's success will depend on what Trump does or does not do, said Fen Hampson, a professor of international relations and the co-chair of the expert group on Canada-U.S. relations at Carleton University.
"Even when it comes to his tech bro buddies, things can go sideways pretty quickly," Hampson said. "That's really the big risk here — does the president arrive in a good mood willing to do business, or is he in a bad mood?"
Trump's support for Ukraine is expected to be a major focus when the war
is discussed on the second day of the summit. (Ben Curtis/The
Associated Press)
While he's not expecting Trump to drop all of his tariffs after a few days in the mountains, Hampson said a U.S. "commitment to work together in a positive way" and revisit trade actions could be spun as a win by Carney.
A commitment from Trump to stay the course in Ukraine would also be well-received by Carney and the Europeans in the room, Hampson said.
To secure that sort of shift, Europe may commit to dropping policies that irritate Trump, including its digital services tax, while Canada could play up its newfound commitment to a stronger military and more defence spending, longtime U.S. demands, Hampson said.
But depending on Trump to play nice is a risky proposition, he said.
"Carney is more than just the head waiter at this meeting," Hampson said. "This is going to be a real test of his own negotiating skills."
Increasing tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched airstrikes in Iran will further test Carney. Iran fired dozens of missiles toward Israel hours later.
"With Israel's attack on Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran-Israel dynamics have to be at least informally on the agenda," University of Ottawa political science professor Thomas Juneau said. "It makes Prime Minister Carney's job way more complicated than it already was."
No joint communique
Unlike at past G7 summits, Canada is not planning to get all leaders to agree to a joint communique — a sometimes unwieldy list of priorities and accomplishments that all countries agree to sign.
Instead, Canada has been working with the other countries ahead of time to secure leaders' approval on a series of short, joint statements focused on concrete actions and outcomes in key areas, a senior government official said ahead of the summit.
This strategy could be interpreted as a way to avoid what befell the 2018 G7 meeting Canada hosted in Charlevoix, Que.
Trump did not want to sign on to a series of climate change-focused measures — something former prime minister Justin Trudeau made a priority at those talks despite Trump's well-known hostility to environmentalism.
The president ultimately agreed to the joint communique while withholding U.S. support for some green measures — but then torpedoed G7 unity entirely in a series of post-summit tweets, saying he was offended by what Trudeau said at a closing news conference.
The 2018 G7 summit in Quebec ended in acrimony, with Trump criticizing
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
Rather than squabble over policy measures Trump will never support, Carney is focused on getting G7 leaders to coalesce around things that have a reasonable chance of garnering a consensus, a senior government official said.
The government is framing this agenda as a more streamlined, focused document than the last one. Trudeau, by comparison, tried to get G7 support for 28 areas of agreement in Charlevoix.
Trump may be the sticking point on trade and Ukraine, but Kirton said Carney's program suggests Canada is setting up this meeting to be a success on other issues.
"If you're going to hit home runs, you really need the U.S. to go along with you. On many of Mark Carney's priorities, it's easy to see Donald Trump agreeing," he said, referring to defence spending, AI and a move to crack down on deadly drugs like fentanyl.
"Carney has said he wants Canada to be a global leader. This is the way to make that happen — if he can pull it all together on the spot."
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Where the G7 came from — and where it might go in the era of Trump
Summit faces tricky balance of presenting unified front amid U.S.-driven trade war and other global stressors
Historian Samuel Beroud has a pet peeve whenever anyone asks him about the origins of the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit.
As the well-worn narrative goes, the G7 (originally the G6 before Canada joined In 1976) was set up as a forum among the world's leading industrialized nations following the economic shocks of the early 1970s, including the collapse of the Bretton Woods monetary system and the oil price crisis.
The first summit was hosted by French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in 1975. The two leaders met with the heads of the U.K., Italy, Japan and the U.S. for a fireside chat at the Château de Rambouillet, just outside of Paris.
It is said that the gathering was necessary to shepherd the world economy and prevent disputes from escalating into nasty trade wars — but more importantly to reassure the public and the markets that the leaders were in charge and managing things.
"I have a very critical interpretation of the G7, because if you look at things, basically the first G7 took place after the recovery of 1975 has already happened," said Beroud, a fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center and PhD candidate at the University of Geneva.
"So there is already like a trick from the politician to say, 'Look, we are solving global economic problems,' when they know already that the recovery has already started."
French
President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, centre, speaks to the media on Nov.
17, 1975, at the closingof the first monetary policy G7 meeting, then
called than 'the Summit of the Six.' (AFP via Getty Images)
There was, however, geopolitical value in meeting face-to-face and a clear message at the time, Beroud said.
"The Western world has gone through a period of tension, but now we are united again and we are ready to face challenges from the outside. So this is the main message of the first G7 summit."
Good luck getting there this week.
Projecting a sense of calm reassurance as the global economy is upended by the Trump administration's trade war — not to mention hot wars in both the Middle East and Ukraine — would be nice.
Hopefully the leaders gathering in the majestic wilderness of Kananaskis, Alta., this week get the memo.
Whether that reassurance involves unity on key economic and security questions is in question — even doubtful. Perhaps more so than at any other point in the five-decade history of these summits.
As host, the Canadian government seems to have given up on a summit-ending communiqué and appears poised for less comprehensive "action-oriented" statements.
We all know why.
Aside from a destructive trade war and the routine disparaging of allies, there is little common ground between U.S. President Donald Trump and the other leaders on key economic, environmental and security issues — notably Ukraine.
Why won't there be a leaders' communique coming out of next week's G7? | Power & PoliticsCreon Butler, who helped organize Britain's G7 priorities for almost a decade, wrote last fall that with Trump in the picture, the G7 is so hamstrung — the areas of co-operation and agreement so few — that allies would be better off meeting in smaller groups, without the United States.
"I think the problem now, frankly, is for all of that to work, you need a level of trust among the members, which despite … quite a few bumpy periods along the way, has always been there," said Butler, who served under former prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.
"I question now whether that level of trust is there with the U.S. to make it function in the way it has in the past."
Questions of relevancy
Throughout its existence, there have been other times when the G7 was a loggerheads over either a range of or specific policies, Butler said. But it's never been this stark.
In light of its declining collective economic clout, the G7 has also faced existential questions. The arrival of the G20 in the early 2000s and the BRICS alliance raised the spectre of relevance in the face of a changing world.
"There was actually a period where people wondered within the G7, do we still need the G7?" said Butler.
Donald
Trump's last trip to Canada for a G7 in 2018 ended poorly, with a
series of tweets sent from a departing Air Force One blasting Justin
Trudeau over statements the prime minister made during his news
conference to close the leaders' summit. (Reuters)
One of those moments was in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis and before the cascading eurozone debt crisis.
"It was the eurozone crisis, which was very fundamentally a G7 crisis — or Europe and other advanced countries — which clearly gave the G7 a continuing purpose," he said.
More recently, it found purpose in the need to respond to Russia's attack on Ukraine.
After ambling along in the face of the first argumentative Trump administration, the G7 came back in full force as the co-ordinating group for sanctions on Russia following its 2022 full-scale invasion — a time when everyone was on-board.
Conversation doesn't always need consensus
Given the deluge of events and the speed with which Trump has moved to upend the global order, those days seem very long ago. So what's the purpose now?
"The G7s are [to] talk shop at the end of the day, right?" said Phil Luck, a former deputy chief economist at the U.S. State Department, now with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"We get together and talk about things. So the question is what use is that? … I think there's always use in talking. I think it tends to not be that costly. And I think, if nothing else, talking can try to iron out disagreements. And that can be helpful."
Prime
Minister Mark Carney, left, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
raise their glasses as they have a beer at the Royal Oak pub in Ottawa
on June 14, 2025. The meeting came ahead of the G7 leaders' summit in
Kananaskis, Alta. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Peter Boehm, Canada's former G7 deputy minister, agreed there is value in talking — especially now — even if there's no consensus.
After watching leaders behind closed doors at several summits, he said there's a lot to be learned from how they tackled their differences in the past.
"Inside the room, it's not like everyone is close to fisticuffs or anything like that. It's a very cordial atmosphere," said Boehm, who disagreed with the notion that another forum — without the U.S. — is needed.
"You can agree to disagree."
When you look at recent history, everyone focuses on Trump's 2018 Air Force One Twitter outburst as torpedoing the consensus at the Charlevoix summit. But Boehm said history has shown there are ways to manage the discussion with the mercurial president — and he believes Prime Minister Mark Carney can keep Trump tuned in.
"What I would say is bring him … into the meeting, [bring] President Trump into the conversation — and as often as you can, so that he does not lose interest," said Boehm. "And defer to him, because he is the president of the United States."
Trudeau and Trump are shown during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines
of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, on Aug 25, 2019. (Sean
Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
But history and ego-management can only take you so far, and the bigger question becomes how other leaders respond to both Trump's policies and his potential tantrums.
"I think the big challenge for Prime Minister Carney is to ensure that some sort of solidarity is demonstrated," said Boehm. "There won't be consensus on everything. There never has been.
"But at least to have a modicum of a consensual view, where the G7 can present itself to the world and say, 'We had a good discussion on topics X, Y and Z, and this is what we propose to undertake.'"
As the world's largest economy, nations over the years have grown accustomed to the United States — the so-called G1 — setting the agenda and leading the discussion.
As the Trump administration jettisons the country's mantle of global leadership, Luck said it will be up to other G7 members to try to find consensus with the U.S. where they can — and lead on consequential issues that no longer interest America.
"I think the world will be waiting for a while for us to show the type of moral leadership that I think people are used to. Or that we like to think that people are used to," he said.
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As G7 kicks off today in Kananaskis, here's how it's expected to impact the Calgary region
From traffic delays to tighter security, disruptions from the high-profile event will be obvious
After months of preparation, the G7 summit kicks off today in Kananaskis, Alta., a three-day summit that will see the popular wilderness destination locked down and the surrounding region play host to global leaders, media, and support teams from around the world.
A heightened police and military presence is now in place, with security officials calling the undertaking the "largest domestic security operation" a country can take on.
World leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, will attend the summit.
Others have also been invited, including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Here's what you need to know about road closures, airport delays, protests and more as the G7 gets underway.
Area locked down
The summit itself is running June 15 to 17 in the remote mountain setting of Kananaskis Village. A controlled access zone has been in effect since June 10, and will remain until June 18.
A map of the no-fly zone for the 2025 G7 leaders' summit. (CBC News)
In the Calgary region, expect a heightened police and military presence. Security for the summit is being headed up by an integrated group which includes the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service, Alberta sheriffs, Alberta conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Those in the Calgary region can expect to see more uniforms, more military vehicles, and more aircraft in the area than usual. There will be a "no drone zone" in Calgary and Kananaskis, and the RCMP has said that unauthorized drones or aircraft will be met by RCMP or Canadian Forces aircraft and could be shot down as a last resort.
A
City of Calgary police mounted patrol officer rides past an RCMP
armoured vehicle on display after a press conference of the joint
security forces for the G7 meeting. (Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press)
The establishment of the controlled access zone is also affecting multiple trails, trailheads, and day use areas, with some locations closing entirely and others remaining accessible only up to the zone's boundary.
Locations such as Three Sisters Parkway, Mount Lougheed Viewpoint, Barrier Lake and Stoney Trail are open to that boundary, but areas including Rummel Pass Trail, Sparrowhawk Trail and the High Rockies Trail are fully closed.
Protest zones outlined
In anticipation of demonstrations, the RCMP and Calgary Police have established "designated demonstration zones," including in downtown Calgary.
Another zone will be set up near the Calgary International Airport, at the Edward H. LaBorde Viewing Area.
There will also be a designated protest zone in Banff, at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre.
RCMP have said that these zones are intended to ensure minimal disruption to critical infrastructure, ensure safety of demonstrators, the public and law enforcement, while providing visible and accessible locations for peaceful assembly. Some protest groups have pushed back against the idea of "designated demonstration zones."
Security officials have said people have the right to assemble outside demonstration zones, but police are encouraging people to gather in those zones for safety reasons.
Expect disruption at airport
The Calgary Airport Authority has said it's ready to process an average of 67,000 travellers per day through the summer, thanks in part to the G7, Rotary International Convention, and the Calgary Stampede.
During the summit, no stopping or parking is allowed around the airport perimeter from June 14 to 18. The airport tunnel will be closed from June 15 to 18.
Unattended vehicles at curbside will face immediate enforcement, and drone use anywhere near the airport will see violators facing steep penalties.
Some temporary closures or stoppages may also be in effect as delegates are moved out of or into the airport through rolling motorcades, the airport authority said.
Those with a flight during the G7 are encouraged to give themselves at least 30 minutes more time than usual to arrive at the airport.
Public transit and alternative routes
During the summit, officials are encouraging residents to consider leaving the car at home in order to help reduce congestion, instead using public transit, cycling or carpooling.
Alternative routes may be activated during the period of the summit to help manage traffic flow, the city says.
There are likely to be minor traffic delays, especially when heading west toward the mountains.
There will also likely be increased motorcade activity and rolling road closures, the city says, especially around the airport and in the downtown core.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Canadian Press
David Amos
Can the G7 leaders still find anything to agree about?
Lacking broad consensus, the onus falls on those still interested in co-operation
Fifty years ago this fall the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met in a castle outside Paris for three days of meetings, at the conclusion of which they issued the Declaration of Rambouillet, a 15-point statement of principles and commitments.
Noting that they were "each responsible for the government of an open, democratic society, dedicated to individual liberty and social advancement," the Group of Six said they had come together because of "shared beliefs and shared responsibilities."
The leaders pledged to "strengthen our efforts for closer international co-operation and constructive dialogue among all countries," "restore growth in the volume of world trade" and "restore greater stability in underlying economic and financial conditions in the world economy."
In June 1976, with Canada at the table to create the G7, the leaders met in Puerto Rico and declared that, "The interdependence of our destinies makes it necessary for us to approach common economic problems with a sense of common purpose and to work toward mutually consistent economic strategies through better co-operation."
Last year, when the leaders of the G7 met in Italy for the 2024 summit, they agreed to a nearly 20,000-word joint communique, covering their shared stances on an expansive array of global issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, food security, climate change, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, migration and the global economy. The pronoun "we" appeared dozens of times.
Even if it's fair to ask how much all the words really amount to, there is something to be said for the value of the world's seven most powerful democracies coming together to express common views and beliefs — in addition to the specific, tangible initiatives that often flow from their annual gatherings.
But in 2025, on the occasion of the 50th of these meetings, it's unclear on how much the seven leaders of these countries can still agree. Such lack of consensus would at least underline how much the world has changed in the last few months.
The ghost of Charlevoix
It's unlikely that the 50th meeting of the G7 will produce an expansive communique. A senior Canadian official, speaking to reporters this week, suggested the leaders will sign off on some number of narrower statements on specific issues.
In that case, the results of the 2025 summit might resemble the output of the 2019 summit in France, which produced a succinct 259-word declaration agreed to by all leaders, alongside specific statements on gender equality and Africa, and a pair of chair "summaries" reviewing the discussions that were had.
That summit in Biarritz was notably the last time Donald Trump attended a G7 summit. It was also the first after the G7's infamous blow-up in Charlevoix, Que. And the memory of that 2018 summit — the last time Canada played host — hangs over this year's gathering in Kananaskis, Alta.
At Issue | What Carney’s G7 invite list says about his prioritiesThe Charlevoix gathering is most remembered for what happened shortly after it had seemingly concluded. Trump, apparently aggrieved by statements Justin Trudeau made in his closing news conference about American tariffs on steel and aluminum, used Twitter to blast the prime minister and declare that the United States was renouncing the summit's communique.
But those tweets were just the culmination of what had been a fractious 48 hours as the leaders and their advisers haggled over the wording of the communique.
The United States wanted the concluding statement to refer to "a" rules-based international order, not "the" rules-based international order (essentially a disagreement over the current existence of a rules-based international order). The United States didn't want to make any reference to the Paris Accords on climate change (Trump had pulled the U.S. out of the agreements in 2017). There were other differences over Iran and plastic pollution.
A final communique was ultimately produced — agreed to just moments before Trump departed — but not all of the differences could be papered over: the split over climate change was explicitly acknowledged in the text.
The example of Charlevoix may have influenced Biarritz. And it may be helping guide the approach to Kananaskis.
The amount of work needed to get a consensus document "would really mean a race to the bottom" for what would be included, Peter Boehm, who was Trudeau's top negotiator at the Charlevoix summit, said in a recent interview with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
This is also, of course, a summit that will be held amid a trade war being waged between some of the countries at the table.
The first goal for Carney — who has some experience with international summits as a former central bank governor and finance official — at next week's meetings might simply be to avoid another blow-up. And that might mean aiming for a lower level of agreement, perhaps in line with the official priorities the prime minister announced last week — which included countering foreign interference and transnational crime, improving joint responses to wildfires, fortifying critical mineral supply chains and harnessing artificial intelligence.
"There is value in keeping the U.S. engaged by pursuing co-operation on a narrower set of priorities," says Roland Paris, a professor of international affairs and a former adviser to Trudeau.
What message will this year's G7 send?
But if the seven leaders can no longer agree about many things — including big, fundamental things like climate change or the war in Ukraine — it's tempting to ask whether the G7 still makes sense as a group.
"The G7's internal strains mirror the larger fragmentation of multilateral governance, at a moment when the world urgently needs more, not less, co-operation," Paris says.
Kim Nossal, a foreign policy scholar at Queen's University, says there is still value in the leaders of these seven nations coming together in person to take a measure of each other and discuss global issues.
"It seems to me that, from the perspective of one of the other [leaders], that it remains a useful institution to keep going until or unless the United States under Trump trashes it and burns it down," Nossal says.
Why won't there be a leaders' communique coming out of next week's G7? | Power & Politics"A good outcome is one where there is a relatively anodyne general communique at the end that the Americans sign off on that demonstrates quite clearly to the world just how far removed the Americans are from engagement," Nossal says.
"That provides then an incentive for the remaining members of the West to double down on working with each other to address questions that the Americans no longer are interested in such as, for example, climate change."
If there is no longer a unanimously held belief among the G7 in shared responsibilities, that will put an even greater onus on those nations who still believe in common purpose.
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Canada to join major European rearmament deal as early as June 23: sources
Prime minister expected to sign on to defence agreement at Brussels meeting
Prime Minister Mark Carney plans on joining a sweeping European plan in Belgium this month to rearm the continent and provide more military aid to Ukraine, CBC News has learned.
Last month, Carney signalled to CBC's Power & Politics that he hopes to sign on to the new defence initiative by Canada Day as he tries to move away from relying on the United States for weapons and munitions.
Now sources with knowledge of the matter say Carney is expected to join the rearmament deal as early as June 23, when he meets with European leaders in Brussels at the EU-Canada summit.
Carney hinted on Monday this summit will "be more important than ever."
"Canada will arrive at this summit with a plan to lead, with new investments to build our strength in service of our values," Carney said.
Why Europe would consider inviting Canada into a defence pactThe prime minister has said he's been in talks with European countries for months about closer defence co-operation. Carney wants to build up Canada's defence capabilities and expand its military suppliers beyond the U.S. as President Donald Trump wages a trade war on Canada and most of the world.
"Over 75 cents on every dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told Power & Politics host David Cochrane on May 27.
Carney said it would be better to "spend more at home" with "diversified partnerships."
CBC News is not naming the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen first proposed the plan called ReArm Europe in March to bolster the continent's military capabilities during global threats, Russia's ongoing invasion in Ukraine and uncertainty with the United States.
'The first step is joining the club'
The plan, renamed Readiness 2030, includes boosting European defence spending by up to 800 billion euros, including a 150-billion euro loan program to pay for more military technology and weapons. It's unclear how much money Canada would contribute.
CBC News asked the Prime Minister's Office for details about the spending commitment and has yet to receive a response.
Carney announced more than $9 billion in new military spending this fiscal year on Monday — and said Canada must further increase defence spending in the years to come.
Carney is expected to announce military aid to Ukraine in the coming days. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Once Canada joins the European deal, the government will have to decide what initiative it wants to launch and which countries it will partner with. The list of potential projects includes air and missile defence, drones and anti-drone systems, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare.
"The first step is joining the club. The next step is deciding what projects you want to work on with other club members," said Dave Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Support for Ukraine
Ahead of the EU-Canada summit, Carney is also expected to announce more support for Ukraine.
As part of Carney's promise to increase defence spending this year, supplementary estimates this week show the government has earmarked $2 billion for military aid to Ukraine and to expand defence partnerships.
A source told CBC News the government is expected to reveal how much of that money will go toward Ukraine at the G7 meeting in in Kananaskis, Alta., next week.
Carney is hosting this year's summit and invited Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hopes to urge Trump to move forward with a stronger sanctions package on Russia.
Canada will hit 2% NATO spending target by March: CarneyThree years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it continues to push forward in the Donbas region where Ukrainians are progressively losing "more and more" territory, Perry said.
Ukraine needs armoured vehicles, artillery systems, ground-based air defence systems and munitions, he said.
"They need help repairing all of the critical infrastructure the Russians are going after," he said. "They need the funding to basically keep the government of Ukraine solvent … they need a whole range of things."
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Defence minister tells arms makers to prepare for accelerated federal spending
David McGuinty says government to launch 'immediate and decisive action to rebuild Canada's defence capacity'
Defence Minister David McGuinty pulled out all the stops Wednesday in his first major public speech to enlist the country's top arms makers in the Liberal government's plans to accelerate military spending.
He pledged the newly re-elected Liberal government will take "immediate and decisive action to rebuild Canada's defence capacity."
McGuinty was speaking at the annual CANSEC defence trade show in Ottawa to hundreds of Canadian and international contractors, many of whom are looking to sell weapons and munitions to the federal government.
The speech comes against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's talk of annexing Canada and one day after the government's throne speech, which promised the county would sign on to a $1.25-trillion European Union defence-industrial initiative — known as ReArm Europe.
Speaking on CBC's Power & Politics Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he hoped to have the deal done by Canada Day.
McGuinty, in his speech, reiterated that commitment and called on defence contractors to join the effort.
"We're moving quickly to ensure our military has the tools to defend our country and continent, while remaining an engaged, reliable partner abroad," the minister said.
"Here's the key message I want to leave with you here this morning. This work can only be done in partnership with you."
CANSEC, in many respects, is an annual rite of passage for the defence minister, who is expected to build bridges with the contractors that supply military gear. Many companies, however, have complained about the glacial, often complicated, procurement process.
McGuinty said the concerns have been heard.
Going beyond NATO's 2%
He also hinted the Liberal government was hoping to exceed its pledge to meet the NATO defence spending target of two per cent of the gross domestic product. During the election, Carney said the government would hit the mark by 2030.
Canada plans to triple defence spending from 2014 levels by 2030, the minister said.
"But your government is willing to accelerate this. So, stay tuned."
NATO's secretary general this week said the two per cent benchmark would likely be raised to five per cent at the next leaders summit at the end of June.
McGuinty delivered his speech, but did not stop to speak with reporters. Instead, he ducked out the back curtain with his staff.
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Fighter jets deployed after civilian aircraft entered G7 no-fly zone above Kananaskis
Pilot travelled into restricted air space before landing safely under their own power
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) deployed fighter jets to intercept a civilian aircraft on Sunday after it entered a no-fly zone in place for the G7 summit.
The fixed-wing aircraft travelled into restricted air space above the Kananaskis area, according to a news release from the G7 Integrated Safety and Security Group.
CF-18 Hornet fighter jets were sent to intercept the aircraft. NORAD's Canadian region took "multiple steps" to get the pilot's attention before resorting to "final warning measures" to contact the pilot.
Eventually, the pilot landed the civilian aircraft safely under their own power and was met on the ground by RCMP officers, according to the Integrated Safety and Security Group.
"It is every pilot's responsibility to ensure that there are no restrictions in the air space they intend to fly," the release said.
"These incidents take away resources that could be utilized in police work and securing the summit site."
Temporary air space restrictions over both Calgary and Kananaskis have been in place since Saturday morning.
One no-fly zone is centred on Kananaskis village and has a radius of 30 nautical miles. Another is centred on the Calgary International Airport and has a radius of 20 nautical miles.
Restrictions in both locations will be enforced until midnight Tuesday.
WATCH | No-fly zones at the G7:
Authorities carve out no-fly zones ahead of G7 summit in KananaskisNORAD is a U.S.-Canada bi-national organization responsible for aerospace warning and control. The organization is using aircraft and personnel from both the Canadian and U.S. militaries to protect world leaders and other people attending the G7.
The incident is still under investigation, according to the Integrated Safety and Security Group.
Jets, tanks and bears: The last time the G7 came to Alberta, it was in the shadow of 9/11
Kananaskis to be locked down as world leaders visit June 15-17
Canada's top security officials are ramping up planning in Kananaskis, just west of Calgary, for the 51st G7 leaders' summit in June, more than two decades after the region last held the high-profile international event.
Officials behind this year's summit are keeping specifics scant for now, with more detail to come. But as is the case with all G7 summits, the host site — in this case, a popular wilderness destination — is set to be locked down as part of a dramatic and sweeping security effort.
Beyond the extensive security measures, G7 events also carry significant financial costs. The last time Kananaskis hosted the summit, its price tag was estimated at $300 million. Canada last hosted the summit in La Malbaie, Que., in 2018, when it budgeted $600 million.
The return of the event to K-Country brings back memories of the last time it was held — a contentious summit with a ballooning budget, unprecedented security and calls for its cancellation.
A military vehicle patrols a road in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 24, 2002. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
The 2025 event will bring together leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, and take place from June 15 to 17.
The last time Kananaskis hosted, the conference was known as the G8 Summit. The name was changed after Russia was suspended and then withdrew following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Massive security effort
In advance of the 2002 summit, then-prime minister Jean Chretien suggested the intimate, remote nature of Kananaskis made it an ideal location for the event, especially in light of massive protests at the 27th G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, the year prior, which drew an estimated 200,000 demonstrators.
"We have the obligation to meet, and it is not a certain number of anarchists who will prevent democratic leaders to do their job," Chretien was quoted as saying by the Edmonton Journal in July 2001.
Prime minister Jean Chretien meets with workers at the Kananaskis
mountain resort, the site of the G8 summit, on June 25, 2002. (Fred
Chartrand/The Canadian Press)
The 2002 summit also landed amid high anxiety tied to the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. In the days following those attacks, organizers said "profound" changes would be made to security planning, and a possible change in venue from Kananaskis.
Then-premier Ralph Klein floated the idea the summit may need to be cancelled should security concerns persist.
For Calgary officials, planning efforts began about a year in advance, though Global Affairs Canada, RCMP, CSIS and others were involved well before that, said Al Duerr, who was Calgary's mayor when Kananaskis was chosen as the summit site in July 2001.
"Definitely, at that time, we had to plan for the worst case," Duerr said in an interview earlier this month.
Duerr decided not to run again in the fall of 2001 after four terms in office, and was succeeded as mayor by Dave Bronconnier, who would go on to lead the region into the summit. But Duerr said there was extensive information shared in the lead-up to the event.
"Not only do you have issues with potential bad actors, but you have wildlife, and a whole series of things," he said. "I can't get into a lot of the stuff that was planned, but I was very impressed by the depth to which everyone went to ensure it went off as a very smooth event."
In
this photo obtained by the National Security Archive, U.S. president
George W. Bush walks on the Delta Lodge grounds with secretary of state
Condoleezza Rice, White House chief of staff Andrew Card, and others, as
an unidentified military aide carries the presidential emergency
satchel, during meetings of the G8 Economic Summit in Kananaskis on June
25, 2002. (Eric Draper/White House/National Security Archive - nsarchive.gwu.edu via AP)
As the summit approached, the Calgary Herald described the affected section of K-Country as a "fortress" sealed off from the public. Estimates stated that more than 5,000 soldiers and 1,500 RCMP officers would be deployed in K-Country.
Jet fighters patrolled a no-fly zone over the summit. In the city, 450 of Calgary's 1,400-odd city police officers were on dedicated G8 duty, in what was referred to as the largest security operation in Canadian peacetime history. Among their tasks were responsibilities to secure key summit sites, and to surveil protest groups.
The impacts of the summit spread across Calgary. The city's public schools practised lockdown procedures, while some offices were closed and some stores boarded up.
Fearing a repeat on Calgary streets of the violent confrontations in Italy the year prior, first-term mayor Bronconnier warned protesters against such actions, lest they spend the rest of the summit at the Spy Hill jail.
In the end, the street protests in Calgary were largely peaceful, and Bronconnier hailed the massive security precautions as having paid off.
Demonstrators
sit and occupy a downtown Calgary intersection, at Fourth Avenue and
Centre Street, on June 26, 2002, during a demonstration against the G8
Summit. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
This year, the RCMP will lead the Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG), which will include the Calgary Police Service, the Alberta Sheriffs Branch, Alberta Conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces.
"The Integrated Safety and Security Group are scheduling various local information sessions with specific stakeholders that will be most affected by our security measures. Our intent is to make those details public in the coming weeks," reads a statement attributed to Dave Hall, event security director for the group.
Concerns over wildlife
The footprint of the event in an area home to bears, wolves and cougars drew concerns from environmentalists.
A
demonstrator blows bubbles as RCMP officers speak with the driver of a
car waiting to get through a checkpoint near Kananaskis, where the G8
Summit was taking place on June 26, 2002. About 100 vehicles full of
demonstrators tried to get close to the site. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
All told, the summit was peaceful and uneventful — except for a bear that had made its way too close to the leaders' site and was trying to access food. Officers tried to scare it away, but it fell out of a tree, injuring itself severe enough that it needed to be killed, officials said at the time.
Still, the site posed certain advantages, according to John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group.
For instance, it was easier to protect from a hijacked civilian airliner or a missile compared to other options, he said. Plus, limited access meant protesters on foot were easily stymied.
"To get to the two hotels up in Kananaskis, the protesters would have to go up one little road … which was extremely easy to close off by multiple layers of security forces," he said. "It was a well-chosen site, and it's not surprising that the Canadian government decided to use it again this year."
Political change coming in Canada
The summit approaches in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation and amid political turbulence tied to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threats against Canada.
Summit-watchers such as Kirton will be looking to see how much the next prime minister will approach the agenda, previously outlined by Trudeau. The focus is currently set around inclusive economic growth, climate change, and managing rapidly developing technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
Nigerian
president Olusegun Obasanjo places his hand on prime minister Jean
Chretien's arm as they speak with other leaders after the official
photograph for G8 and African leaders June 27, 2002, at the G8 Summit
retreat in Kananaskis. From left, back row: British prime minister Tony
Blair, Russian president Vladimir Putin, U.S. president George Bush and
German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Front row: French president Jacques
Chirac, Obasanjo, Chretien, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. (Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)
Beyond learning who will succeed Trudeau, there are a number of other unknowns still to be determined. But for individuals who were on the ground in 2002, there are some certainties, too.
"No detail went unchecked," said Gary Mar, an Alberta cabinet minister at the time of the 2002 summit.
Within Kananaskis, the number of people will be restricted to very small delegations of the leaders, Mar said. But the spillover of the event will be of significantly higher scale.
"The world's media is going to be here in Calgary, an hour and a half away from Kananaskis," Mar said. "I would expect that the Canadian government is setting up venues for events that are on the margins of the G7. So, this is a really great opportunity for Alberta to showcase its issues to a world media."
This year's summit will mark the seventh time Canada has hosted a G7 summit.
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On the road to the G7 in Kananaskis, a popular wilderness retreat locks down
'It's a big hoopla, for sure,' says bus driver contracted to drive law enforcement outside zone
"Please, allow me to show you my bus that I drive for G7," says the driver.
Willi Mair makes his way around the side of the coach, a late-model Canadian-made Prevost. It's branded with the name of the company, Sunshine Coach, and painted with three slices of sunset red and golden yellow.
He steps up the entrance of the bus and leans into the driver's area. The coach has all of the conveniences, Mair notes — he can lower the front for older people to come on board. It's got seatbelts, for safety. There's a washroom in the back.
"And it is, of course … air conditioned," he concludes, proudly.
Willi
Mair with Sunshine Coach points to the interior of the bus with 56
recliner seats he's using to drive G7 security officials and staff
around. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Just a few days ago, Mair's bus was full of RCMP officers, heading to the G7 summit. They weren't in uniform, but they came carrying heavy bags. Mair, who likes to help passengers load their luggage, was surprised at their weight.
"I was afraid I would pull the handle off just by lifting," he said.
But the officers were very nice. Casual.
"And going to work, I guess."
Tuesday was the first day a controlled access zone came into effect in the Kananaskis region in advance of the G7 summit, a gathering of leaders from seven of the world's advanced economies. The summit has brought a significantly heightened police and military presence to this area.
Here's what the new Kananaskis G7 security perimeter looks likeNow that the zone has come into effect, Mair is only driving security officials and staff from the Calgary International Airport as far as the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, a little more than 25 kilometres from the summit site.
White tents at the casino play host to vehicle screening and act as a passenger switch-over point. Screened vehicles are escorted into the controlled access zone. Other passengers are moved in on pre-cleared buses.
"It is a big hoopla, for sure," Mair said. "But, it has to be this way."
White
tents are set up outside the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, used for
vehicle screening and as a switch-over point for passengers travelling
on buses cleared by officials. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Police forces come to Alberta to support
The Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre sits in the next parking lot over from the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino. Ellaina Benjamin is working the front counter.
Being situated right outside the road that takes delegates to the controlled access zone means these employees are seeing a lot — army helicopters, jets, and police from across the country.
"I kind of find it amusing, entertaining to see. It's something different, for sure. I got nosy yesterday and I was asking where their jurisdictions are from," Benjamin said.
Ellaina
Benjamin, who works at the Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre, has been
seeing countless security officials in the region as the G7 summit
approaches. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Security for the event is being run by an integrated group that includes the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service, Alberta sheriffs, Alberta conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as other police services from across the country, including Edmonton, Winnipeg, and the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service.
These forces are tasked with handling what officials have referred to as the "largest domestic security operation" a country can take on, with more advanced technological threats, including drones.
A map of the Kananaskis area where the controlled access zone will be established. (CBC)
Other threats are those outdoorsy Albertans may be more familiar with.
Some of them come into view on a trip up the road to the controlled access zone. A sign on the side of the road advises motorists that the fire danger rating for Banff National Park is now classified as "Extreme." Near a blockade close to the summit site, a bear is seen scampering into the dense treeline.
Officials have said they're working to minimize the wildlife-human contact. In 2002, the last time the leaders' summit was held in Kananaskis, a bear was tranquilized and later killed after it came too close to the leaders' site.
Near the Wasootch Ridge Trailhead, police vehicles wave motorists over, asking them to roll down their windows. From here, accreditation is mandatory for anyone who wants into the controlled access zone.
A controlled access zone has been in effect since June 10, and will remain until June 18. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Some anxious to return to natural spaces
The region will stay this way, locked down, until June 18. For those locals who have come to view Kananaskis as a retreat from daily life, the disruption can't end soon enough.
The Galatea day use area, Mount Lorette Ponds, and Little Lougheed Trail are among several recreational zones off-limits until the summit wraps up.
"It's closed all my favourite spots," said Nalyn Hill, who visits the area from Calgary almost every weekend with her dog. "I like to take him to Mount Lorette Ponds, especially … everything was blocked off. So, it's very frustrating."
Nalyn
Hill, a Calgary resident who visits Kananaskis often, said she's
frustrated about her favourite escapes being closed during the G7
summit. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Though leaders will be situated within Kananaskis Village itself, the disruption isn't just being felt around the Kananaskis region. Calgary, Banff, and the surrounding area is playing host to media and support teams from around the world.
In Banff, international media will gather at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Preparation was in full-swing on Tuesday, with crews checking technology and setting up stations for journalists to deliver their live reports.
A
row of cameras are laid out on the ground as organizers set up the
international media centre at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. (Acton Clarkin/CBC)
Soon, leaders will arrive at Kananaskis Village, the international media centre will be bustling with activity, and the nearby site at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre will be open for those looking to protest.
Janice Hagel, who was taking a break from a bicycle ride outside the recreation centre on Tuesday, said she thinks the security measures are necessary given the scale of the event.
But she adds she'll be watching the outcomes of the summit closely.
"I'm interested in what they'll be talking about," she said. "And not only that, but what they'll be acting on."
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David Amos
Content Deactivated
Its pleasant to see that some Proud Canadians are registering their indignation with the G7 nonsense while the world goes to hell in a hand basket
Kat Shaw
Hopefully they all do this - See: 'Former prime minister Jean Chretien says dignitaries attending the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Alberta should avoid engaging the "....." from U.S. President'
David Amos
Reply to Kat Shaw
Didn't I mention that?
Rosalba White
Reply to Kat Shaw
Did he mention..."don't make snide remarks behind his back on camera"....like our last guy did?...
Marty Bensell
Reply to Rosalba White
Umm... You mean like Trump does continuously?
Walter Samson
Reply to Kat Shaw
Jean who ?
Kat Shaw
Reply to Walter Samson
Hmm.... missed history lessons.🤔
Walter Samson
Reply to Kat Shaw
Jean is your go-to for anti-Trump material ?
Kat Shaw
Reply to Rosalba White
Different p m; time to move on.
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Rosalba White
Did you notice his fake eyebrows falling off during his speech to the press?
Kat Shaw
Reply to David Amos
After I did.
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Kat Shaw
Methinks its hard telling not knowing for sure with so many comments going the way of the Dodo Bird N'esy Pas?
Kat Shaw
Reply to David Amos
Mine 1 hr ago; your's 50 minutes ago..
Duncan MacLeod
Reply to Rosalba White
Better to tell to his face and watch him taco when you stand up and don’t back down
David Amos
Reply to Duncan MacLeod
TACO is SOP
Anthony Iommi
Arrest Trump and Modi...
Julia LeBeau
Reply to Anthony Iommi
For what?
Kat Shaw
Reply to Julia LeBeau
See: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2171697/more-than-a-dozen-canadian-sikhs-face-active-assassination-threats-organization-warns
Kat Shaw
Reply to Julia LeBeau
See: 'Earlier on Thursday, Global News cited confidential sources (new window) in reporting that former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was targeted by a suspected Indian government agent in 2023, resulting in ...'
David Amos
Reply to Anthony Iommi
Dream on
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Anybody reading the real news???
Marty Bensell
Reply to David Amos
Note your irony.
Julia LeBeau
Reply to David Amos
What is real news?
David Amos
Reply to Julia LeBeau
Its about war and the economy
Carole Lowes-Kotiesen
Reply to David Amos
Is that why you're here?
David Amos
Reply to Carole Lowes-Kotiesen
Yup
Kat Shaw
Reply to David Amos
About the Oilers winning. A great OT win!!!
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Kat Shaw
I hate hockey
Marty Bensell
Reply to David Amos
So, news is only what you define it as??
David Amos
Reply to Marty Bensell
This was the "News" in here about this nonsense yesterday
Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: Former PM Chretien
Chretien urges leaders not to take bait if Trump wants to 'do something crazy'
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Marty Bensell
This was the "News" in here about this nonsense yesterday
Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: Former PM Chretien
Chretien urges leaders not to take bait if Trump wants to 'do something crazy'
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Marty Bensell
This news was far more important
Iran confirms top officials killed after Israel targets nuclear sites, leaders, scientists in wave of strikes
Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to 'remove this threat'
The Associated Press · Posted: Jun 12, 2025 10:06 PM ADT
Marty Bensell
Reply to David Amos
Again, is news only what YOU define it as?
David Amos
Reply to Marty Bensell
Is this news to YOU?
Mountie says he held man's cash because of 'jerk' defence lawyer
Const. Christopher Sorensen denied intending to keep the money
Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2025
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Kat Shaw
"content deactivated" Surprise Surprise Surprise Need I ask why?
Duncan MacLeod
Reply to Kat Shaw
They did well really well especially with the extra four that were on the ice.
Kat Shaw
Reply to Marty Bensell
Perhaps he doesn't know about the menu. /s
Kat Shaw
Reply to Duncan MacLeod
?
Marty Bensell
Reply to David Amos
Yes. Best to purchase a dictionary and refer to "news". Enjoy
David Amos
Reply to Marty Bensell
Best you read my blog
Modi’s G7 invite feels ‘like a betrayal,’ says Canadian Sikh leader | Power & Politics
CBC News Carney defends inviting India's Modi to G7 summit as Liberal MP calls it 'a bad idea'
PM says he's talked with Indian PM about killing of Canadian Sikh separatist
Prime Minister Mark Carney again defended inviting India's prime minister to the G7 meeting in Alberta, saying it makes sense to have the leader of the world's most populous country around the table when there are "big challenges" to discuss.
Carney made the comments on Wednesday after meeting with a member of his caucus who told reporters that including Narendra Modi is a "bad idea."
Canada-India relations have been on shaky ground since former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP alleged Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian Khalistani separatist who was brazenly gunned down outside a Sikh temple in B.C. in 2023.
Nijjar and others in that movement have been calling for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan, which Modi's government has vigorously opposed and denounced as a national security threat.
"We've made progress with India in a bilateral sense. They are OK with having a legal process between law enforcement entities," Carney said in a French interview with Radio-Canada, referring to some sort of possible co-operation between Canadian police and Indian authorities over Nijjar's murder.
"There is a process in B.C. concerning the killing of a Canadian citizen that is ongoing, and that will continue. India knows that," Carney told Patrice Roy.
Asked if he's spoken to Modi about Nijjar and the ongoing police investigation, Carney said: "Yes, I have."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the G7 meeting in Alberta. (Manish Swarup/The Associated Press)
Carney said Canada wants to discuss energy security, critical minerals and the development of artificial intelligence — three of his stated priorities for this meeting of world leaders — and it's "hard to have those discussions without India."
Canada holds the G7 presidency this year and has a "responsibility to have a table that can discuss big challenges," he said.
The Prime Minister's Office confirmed Wednesday that leaders from all G7 countries along with Brazil, South Africa, India, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Ukraine, Mexico and Australia — plus the NATO secretary general, UN secretary general, the European Union secretary general and the head of the World Bank — will be in attendance for at least part of the proceedings in Kananaskis.
Liberal MP says Modi coming to Canada is 'a bad idea'B.C. MP Sukh Dhaliwal, meanwhile, told reporters he met with Carney early Wednesday to express what he says are constituents' frustrations with the decision to include Modi.
"The RCMP has clearly stated there's credible evidence Indian agents were involved in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil," Dhaliwal said of Nijjar. "It's a bad idea" to include Modi, he said.
Canada expelled some Indian diplomats after the Nijjar allegations were made public. The government has said there are "linkages" between the four Indian nationals arrested and charged with Nijjar's murder and the Indian government.
Dhaliwal said Carney is "very strong" on the issue and will represent Sikh concerns about Indian interference and transnational crime when speaking to Modi.
"I'm saying it's not a good idea, but now he's invited. We have to move forward," he said.
Another Liberal B.C. MP, Gurbux Saini, also said his voters are "concerned" about the invitation.
Beyond the Nijjar killing, the Foreign Interference Commission's final report also identified India as a top meddler in Canadian affairs.
The commission reviewed intelligence suggesting Indian-aligned proxies may have clandestinely provided financial support to various Canadian politicians to try and get more pro-Indian candidates elected.
The report also found that India has used "disinformation" to further its goals in Canada.
Liberal MP Karina Gould, a past cabinet minister and leadership contender, said human rights should be on the agenda when Carney meets with Modi.
She also criticized the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will not attend.
"I understand why they were invited. Part of diplomacy is having these conversations — you don't shut the door to them," Gould said. "But we're also standing up for values that are important to Canadians."
Liberal MPs asked about Carney inviting India, Saudi Arabia to G7 in CanadaThe Modi invite is a sign Carney may be looking to reset relations with India after a particularly "fractious" period under the last Liberal government, said Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University.
"It's sending a positive signal," Hampson said in an interview with CBC News.
And there are signs India may be open to a rapprochement because Modi accepted the invitation "immediately," Hampson said, unlike Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who took days to consider whether to go or not.
India is the world's fifth-largest economy, a "major regional actor" in the Indo-Pacific and an increasingly important player on the global stage, and bringing Modi here for the G7 is a way for Carney to signal he's taking Canada's foreign policy in a different direction, Hampson said.
He said a multilateral gathering like the G7 "does give the prime minister some cover" from domestic critics.
"It would be very different if it was an invitation for a bilateral heads of government meeting in Ottawa. At least this can be done under the cloak of the G7," Hampson said.
The push to diversify the economy is why other Liberal MPs were deferential to Carney and his decision to include Modi.
Canada is facing an economic "crisis" with U.S. relations at a low point, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said, and Canada needs to "collaborate" and "work out some of the issues" with India.
MP Yasir Naqvi, the parliamentary secretary to Sidhu, said "there's no excuse for the very serious allegations around extrajudicial killings," but said the meeting is an opportunity for the two leaders to "engage" on the larger issue.
"This only happens if there's a relationship between our governments," Naqvi said.
Poilievre says Modi's G7 invitation was 'necessary'"Canada is trying to open the door on relationships and say, 'We need to diversify our trade vastly,'" added MP Rob Oliphant, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs.
"The message to the world is Canada is a vibrant trading partner."
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said earlier this week that India is "one of the biggest and fastest-growing economies" in the world. India is a promising potential market for Canadian liquefied natural gas and nuclear power technology, among other products, Poilievre said, and that sort of trade depends on improving relations.
"We need to work with India … on trade and security," he said. "The invitation is necessary."
Modi's invitation to Canada 'deeply alarming,' says NDP MPMeanwhile, NDP MP Heather McPherson said Modi's inclusion is "deeply alarming."
"This government has consistently and very clearly chosen profits and the economy over human rights, over people," she said. "Profit over people. That's their mantra."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monday, 4 June 2018
Donald Trump declared that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself
Trump claims 'absolute right' to pardon himself
Remark comes a day after president's top lawyer called self-pardon 'unthinkable'
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Methinks that as a Proud Maritimer who has run for public office five times since 2004 after suing legions of Yankee lawyers and the Queen I have earned the right to state the following N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/trumps-tariffs-nb-not-immune-1.4690478
Methinks Mr. Marcolin should ignore Mindless Mr. Melanson the latest local Minister responsible for trade policy and and check my work in the USA and Canada going back to 2001. All he has to do to begin is Google the following and start surfing the Internet N'esy Pas?
Ron Trump NAFTA Wilbur Ross David Amos
YUP
Methinks Mean Mikey Pence the Yankee lawyer and "Prez in Waiting" is as surprised as I am that Trump has remained his boss this long N'esy Pas?
Jamie Robins
Still waiting for more than a nothing burger.
Gorden Feist
Anna Lyle
Methinks you should do the same N'esy Pas? Instead of burying my comments why not Google the following?
Trump NAFTA FATCA Cohen David Amos
Ken Simpson
Not just 'plain' crazy, but Bat$#!+ crazy !!!
Jamie Robins
Everyone supporting that comment of yours
*clearly* has no clue about G.W. Bush.
Trump hasn't caused *1/10th* of the harm that G.W. Bush has caused.
No. Your perception of reality vs fantasy is cracking.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Randy Ellis
Well played Vladimir, well played indeed.
Gorden Feist
At least he’s not hiding that he’s a tin pot despot at heart.
"He tells it like it is."
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/06/re-us-special-counsels-and.html
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Finance Public / Finance Publique (FIN)"
fin.financepublic-financepublique.fin@canada.ca
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2017 02:13:22 +0000
Subject: RE: Many years ago Robert S Mueller III and his evil cohorts
were in charge of Extraordinary Renditions and even tried to pull that
malice on me after I won some judgements in the USA
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
The Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances accuse réception de votre correspondance
électronique. Soyez assuré(e) que nous apprécions recevoir vos
commentaires.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Mueller III, Robert S." Robert.Mueller@wilmerhale.com
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 21:44:39 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE US Special Counsels and Whistleblowing
etc I just called all three of you fellas and some of Evil Mr
Meuller's friends as well
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
I am no longer with WilmerHale. Please contact Amy Szydlo on
212-230-8842 if you need assistance.
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2017 18:53:50 -0400
Subject: RE Trump and the Taxman Attn Brian Bixby and Mark Corallo 703
838 9705 l just called and left a voicemail say Hoka Hey to Trump,
Dowd, McCain, Ashcroft, Sullivan and Meuller and all the rest for for
me willya?
To: info@corallomediastrategies.com, msullivan@ashcroftlawfirm.com,
bleske@ashcroftlawfirm.com, abarry@ashcroftlawfirm.com,
sgoodnight@tagholdings.com, tory.newmyer@washpost.com,
lionel@lionelmedia.com, mdcohen212@gmail.com,
press@bankofengland.co.uk, Andrew.Bailey@fca.org.uk,
theresa.may.mp@parliament.uk, boris.johnson.mp@parliament.uk,
fin.financepublic-financepublique.fin@canada.ca,
Liliana.Longo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, bob.paulson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca,
jan.jensen@justice.gc.ca
Cc: david.raymond.amos@gmail.com, Complaints@tigta.treas.gov,
j.Russell.George@tigta.treas.gov, mark.vespucci@ci.irs.gov,
dean.buzza@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, Diane.Lebouthillier@cra-arc.gc.ca,
Pierre-Luc.Dusseault@parl.gc.ca, Bill.Morneau@canada.ca,
MulcaT@parl.gc.ca, Gerald.Butts@pmo-cpm.gc.ca, postur@for.is,
birgittaj@althingi.is, andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca,
maxime.bernier@parl.gc.ca, leader@greenparty.ca,
bbachrach@bachrachlaw.net, bbixby@burnslev.com
http://qslspolitics.blogspot.ca/2008/06/5-years-waiting-on-bank-fraud-payout.html
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:51:14 -0400
Subject: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I
just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-853-0114) Why
does he lie to me after all this time???
To: president@whitehouse.gov, mdcohen212@gmail.com, pm@pm.gc.ca,
Pierre-Luc.Dusseault@parl.gc.ca, MulcaT@parl.gc.ca,
Jean-Yves.Duclos@parl.gc.ca, B.English@ministers.govt.nz, Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au, pminvites@pmc.gov.au, mayt@parliament.uk, press@bankofengland.co.uk, Andrew.Bailey@fca.org.uk,
fin.financepublic-financepublique.fin@canada.ca, newsroom@globeandmail.ca,
CNN.Viewer.Communications.Management@cnn.com,
news-tips@nytimes.com, lionel@lionelmedia.com
Cc: david.raymond.amos@gmail.com, elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca, justin.ling@vice.com, elizabeththompson@ipolitics.ca,djtjr@trumporg.com,
Bill.Morneau@canada.ca, postur@for.is, stephen.kimber@ukings.ca, steve.murphy@ctv.ca, Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca, oldmaison@yahoo.com, andre@jafaust.com
---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen mcohen@trumporg.com
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to mdcohen212@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-853-0114.
________________________________
This communication is from The Trump Organization or an affiliate
thereof and is not sent on behalf of any other individual or entity.
This email may contain information that is confidential and/or
proprietary. Such information may not be read, disclosed, used,
copied, distributed or disseminated except (1) for use by the intended
recipient or (2) as expressly authorized by the sender. If you have
received this communication in error, please immediately delete it and
promptly notify the sender. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed
to be received, secure or error-free as emails could be intercepted,
corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late, incomplete, contain viruses
or otherwise. The Trump Organization and its affiliates do not
guarantee that all emails will be read and do not accept liability for
any errors or omissions in emails. Any views or opinions presented in
any email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of The Trump Organization or any of its
affiliates.Nothing in this communication is intended to operate as an
electronic signature under applicable law.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Finance Public / Finance Publique (FIN)"
fin.financepublic-financepublique.fin@canada.ca
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:05:00 +0000
Subject: RE: Yo President Trump RE the Federal Court of Canada File No
T-1557-15 lets see how the media people do with news that is NOT FAKE
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
The Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances accuse réception de votre correspondance
électronique. Soyez assuré(e) que nous apprécions recevoir vos
commentaires.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Joly, Mélanie (PCH)" hon.melanie.joly@canada.ca
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:16:17 +0000
Subject: Accusé de réception / Acknowledge Receipt
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable Mélanie Joly, ministre du Patrimoine canadien.
La ministre est toujours heureuse de prendre connaissance des
commentaires de Canadiens sur des questions d'importance pour eux.
Votre courriel sera lu avec soin.
Si votre courriel porte sur une demande de rencontre ou une invitation
à une activité particulière, nous tenons à vous assurer que votre
demande a été notée et qu'elle recevra toute l'attention voulue.
**********************
Thank you for writing to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of
Canadian Heritage.
The Minister is always pleased to hear the comments of Canadians on
subjects of importance to them. Your email will be read with care.
If your email relates to a meeting request or an invitation to a
specific event, please be assured that your request has been noted and
will be given every consideration.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Hancox, Rick (FCNB)" rick.hancox@fcnb.ca
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:22 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos motomaniac333@gmail.com
G'Day/Bonjour,
Thanks for your e-mail. I am out of the office until 24 February. If
you need more immediate assistance, please contact France Bouchard at
506 658-2696.
Je serai absent du bureau jusqu'au 24 fevrier Durant mon absence,
veuillez contacter France Bouchard au 506 658-2696 pour assistance
immédiate.
Thanks/Merci Rick
The Trump Presidency's Impact on New Brunswick in 2017
Sen. Padilla Tackled & Handcuffed | Canadian MP Rips Trump & Defends Protesters
Trooping the Colour: King Charles celebrates official birthday with royal military parade
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Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: Former PM Chretien
Chretien urges leaders not to take bait if Trump wants to 'do something crazy'
Former prime minister Jean Chretien says dignitaries attending next week's G7 leaders summit in Alberta should avoid engaging with the "crazy" from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chretien, speaking Thursday at a conference in Calgary, said leaders can't predict what Trump might do, but said Trump can be a bully and it would be best if the rest of the G7 leaders ignored any outbursts.
"If he has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy," he said. "Let him do it and keep talking normally."
Chretien said leaders should follow the example set by Prime Minister Mark Carney when he visited Trump at the White House last month.
"When Trump talked about Canada to be part 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 say never,' [but Carney] didn't even reply. He just moved on with the discussion. It's the way to handle that."
Carney is hosting Trump and world leaders from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union for the three-day summit starting Sunday in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary.
Chretien, who was speaking alongside his former deputy prime minister and finance minister John Manley, also said he supported Carney's decision to invite India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit.
Carney has been criticized for extending the invitation, including by a member of his own Liberal caucus, due to the ongoing tension between the two countries over foreign interference and the killing of Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. two years ago. The RCMP has said they have evidence linking members of the Indian government to the killing.
"It's always good to talk," Chretien said of the Modi invite. "They will be able to talk and they will see there are other problems."
"You have to navigate. You cannot always go on your high horse for every little problem you're confronted with."
Chretien was one of two former Canadian prime ministers speaking at the conference, which is being hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and the G7 research group.
The conference features a series of panels about past G7 summits and international affairs.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was set to speak alongside the public policy school's director Martha Hall Findlay about the role her province plays in the global energy market.
Former prime minister Joe Clark was to give the closing keynote speech.
The university says the conference is meant to bring experts and officials together to explain key issues G7 leaders are facing heading into the summit.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
G7: Why there is hope of a Carney-Trump tariff breakthrough at Alberta summit
Trade is the 'make or break issue' as world leaders gather in the Canadian Rockies, says expert
Global trade will be a major focus at next week's G7 summit as world leaders gather in Alberta, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who will be making his first appearance at a major international event since returning to the White House in January.
Experts and ambassadors are expressing some optimism that this type of event could be a difference-maker in convincing Trump to reduce the amount of tariffs charged on imports to the U.S.
Any possible concessions on the trade front would be welcomed by countries such as Canada, that are facing economic hardship because of tariffs.
"It's issue No. 1," said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
On Wednesday, CBC News and Radio-Canada reported that talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Donald Trump are advanced enough that a document containing a draft economic and security agreement has been exchanged between the Prime Minister's Office and the White House.
Ottawa is stepping up its efforts in recent weeks to reach an agreement before the end of the G7 summit.
Global trade has slowed as a result of the ever-changing tariffs announced by Trump that have targeted various countries and also certain materials, such as steel and aluminum. In response, many countries, including Canada, have enacted their own tariffs.
Canada's unemployment rate has climbed to seven per cent, which economists say is a sign the trade war with the U.S. is taking a toll on the job market, especially the manufacturing sector.
Trade and tariffs are the "make or break issue" that will determine whether the summit in the Alberta Rocky Mountain village of Kananaskis Country is a success or not, said Kirton.
The
G7 leaders' summit is coming to Kananaskis Country, Alta., this month.
The region is known for its forests, lakes and mountains. (Pat Carroll/CBC)
For now, he's hopeful the various leaders' meetings and one-on-one conversations could produce results.
"[Trump] likes to deliver big wins and the other G7 leaders are smart enough to deliver agreements which are real wins," said Kirton, pointing to how countries could pledge to increase defence spending and make other commitments, in exchange for lower tariffs on imports into the U.S.
World leaders, including Carney, Trump and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, are meeting in Alberta from June 15 to 17 for talks on a variety of other issues, including climate change and managing rapidly evolving technology.
The summit is a high-profile event, yet only involves a handful of world leaders, which is noteworthy, said Gary Mar, CEO of the Canada West Foundation, an Alberta-based think-tank.
"One of the reasons the G7 is effective is because it's a small group. It's small enough that it's focused and can really be productive," said Mar, who was part of the welcoming party at the Calgary airport when world leaders arrived for the last summit held in Kananaskis in 2002.
Trade was not nearly as contentious at that gathering, but rather promoted as having a profound impact on economic growth and development around the world.
Canada
West Foundation CEO Gary Mar was part of the welcoming party at
Calgary's airport when world leaders arrived for the last summit in
Kananaskis in 2002, then known as the G8. (Ellis Choe/CBC)
At the time, U.S. President George Bush even highlighted the value of trade with Canada during the opening press conference.
"We've got a significant relationship together. It's a vibrant, positive friendship," said Bush. "Trade is in the interests of all of us. There are some problems on occasion, but we've got the kind of relationship where we can be very frank about it and try to work them out."
The 2002 summit was held less than 12 months after the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, which is why the main focus was to discuss the war on terrorism and responding to the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
U.S.
President George W. Bush puts on a cowboy hat presented to him after
arriving in Calgary for the G8 summit, on June 25, 2002. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)
Geopolitical tension and conflicts are expected to be one of the talking points at this year's G7, but the tariff situation will likely top the agenda.
Trade policy needs to be discussed urgently, said Matthias Lüttenberg, Germany's ambassador to Canada, while on stage at a recent event in Calgary to discuss the G7.
Free trade and open markets for Germany is "one of the most important pillars of our economic world view and it's the foundation of prosperity and sustainable growth for all of us," he said.
The G7 has an important role to play and the summit has value in producing results on global issues, Lüttenberg said, a sentiment shared by other ambassadors attending the G7 event.
"We know how it works and we have achieved so much together already. And I'm not only talking about leader statements, but it's also the practical work," he explained, pointing to the example of how the G7 agreed on certain sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, while also working toward how to help Ukraine rebuild.
Global economic growth is slowing more than expected only a few months ago as a result of the Trump administration's trade war, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said earlier this month.
The global economy is on pace to slow from 3.3 per cent last year to 2.9 per cent in 2025 because of the tariff fallout, the agency said, trimming its estimates from March for growth of 3.1 per cent this year.
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U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to visit Ottawa on his way to G7 summit in Alberta
Carney met Starmer in London during his first foreign trip in March
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in Ottawa Saturday for a visit with Prime Minister Mark Carney on his way to the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
"Canada and the United Kingdom have shared history and enduring ties. Prime Minister Starmer's visit will strengthen the long-standing economic and security partnership between the two nations — and deliver growth and prosperity for our peoples," Carney's office said in a statement.
Carney met Starmer in London in March during his first foreign trip as prime minister. That trip also saw Carney visit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
During Carney and Starmer's meeting at 10 Downing Street, the prime ministers sat for photos and made brief statements but did not take any questions.
"We're at a point in history where the world is being reordered," Carney said, adding that the two countries' "security co-operation, which is seamless, is essential," as the pair work through the G7 to help "reshape the world."
The G7 summit begins Sunday.
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G7 protesters organizing, say upcoming summit fails to address real-world problems
Size of protests unclear as some groups plan demonstrations, others scale back
As world leaders prepare to gather in Kananaskis for the G7 summit next month, some activist groups across Canada say they are planning protests while others say they won't send a large presence to Alberta this year.
Environmentalists, anti-imperialist coalitions and Indigenous advocates, among many other groups, are weighing their options for this year's summit.
Some say the meeting's location in the remote wilderness destination of Kananaskis, about 90 kilometres west of Calgary, poses challenges.
One major environmental group, Greenpeace Canada, says that's one of the reasons it won't send a large presence to the summit this year.
"It's a long way to go, a lot of carbon to burn, to stand in a parking lot an hour's drive away from where leaders are actually meeting," said Keith Stewart, a spokesperson with Greenpeace.
"We're going to be focusing our efforts on the G7 capitals and trying to make sure that the politicians remember that just because Donald Trump doesn't believe in it doesn't mean climate change has gone away."
Greenpeace
activists show a poster during a protest at the annual meeting of the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2025. (Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)
Greenpeace is instead mulling the possibility of holding demonstrations in other cities, and will support local groups where possible.
"We'll definitely be making some noise and ... we might have some people in Alberta, but we're not gonna have a big presence there," Stewart said.
"This G7 meeting is likely to be dominated by what to do about Trump. But part of that is, how do we continue to make progress on things like climate change, the affordability crisis, working around Trump and the billionaires backing him?"
Designated protest zones
Officials say a major police presence will be in place during the summit, including officers from RCMP, Calgary Police Service and other agencies.
"Designated demonstration zones" will be set up, including in downtown Calgary. Another zone will be set up near the Calgary International Airport, at the Edward H. LaBorde Viewing Area.
"Creating these locations ensures minimal disruption to critical infrastructure such as roads or highways. These areas also ensure the safety of demonstrators, the public and law enforcement, while providing visible and accessible locations for peaceful assembly," wrote Alberta RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall, in a statement.
There will also be a designated protest zone in Banff, at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre.
Calgary Police Service Supt. Joe Brar, the G7 event security director, told The Canadian Press that people have the right to assemble outside the demonstration zones. However, police are encouraging the public to gather in those zones for safety reasons, he added.
Some groups uncertain, others plan counter-summit
At this point, some local long-standing protest groups say they aren't planning on attending.
The Lethbridge and Edmonton gaggles of the Raging Grannies, an activist group of older women who use song and humour to promote social issues, said they don't have plans to attend yet. The Calgary Raging Grannies are more likely to have a presence.
The
Raging Grannies are pictured in 2016 in Montreal. Plans for
Alberta-based gaggles of Raging Grannies still have yet to nail down
plans for protest during the upcoming G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis,
Alta. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
But organizing amongst other groups is underway. Shivangi Misra, chair of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) in Canada, said a coalition of groups is planning a two-day counter-summit and rally.
"There are a couple of programs that are being put together and this is mostly led by people in Alberta," Misra said. "It includes Indigenous groups, climate activists, people's organizations, human rights organizations.
"[They are] coming together to say that [G7 leaders] are not welcome because the policies, the work, the effort, the agenda that the G7 countries are uniting on is not in the interest of the people."
Shivangi
Misra, chair of the International League of Peoples' Struggle in
Canada, said the group believes the G7 agenda does not serve the
interests of the common people. (Google Meet)
Misra said issues like the cost of living, the housing crisis and migrant justice — among other issues — should be at the top of the agenda for this year's summit.
Changing protest culture
This year's summit comes more than two decades after Kananaskis last hosted the G8 in 2002 in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001.
Fearing a repeat of violent confrontations in Italy the year prior, the Calgary Correctional Centre was cleared out in the weeks leading up to the G8 summit to make room for detained protesters. Inmates were sent to the medium-security federal prison in Drumheller.
That won't be the case at this year's summit.
John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto, said the tone of protest in Alberta at the last summit was civil and friendly.
"One of the smartest things the organizers did was they kept the folks, the heavy police that looked like imperial stormtroopers — you know, with their masks and clubs — in the hotel rooms," he said. "And put on the front lines local police officers on bicycles, wearing shorts … they gave out bottled water to the protesters for free."
A
city police officer rides past other Calgary Police Service officers
and Royal Canadian Mounted Police on bicycles before a pre-G8 summit
demonstration in Calgary in 2002. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Kirton said he expects similar dynamics this time around.
"I think the protests will be [able] to get the message through loud and clear but will not be distracted by any cars on fire the way that the Genoa Summit [in Italy in 2001] had been."
Misra with the ILPS added that many formal and informal groups are still finalizing their plans, with some choosing not to go public yet for safety or security reasons.
But she questioned the use of designated zones, calling them a barrier to free expression.
"We are exercising a constitutional right to protest. These protest zones fundamentally undermine … the civil and political rights that people have a right to exercise," she said.
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Hundreds of protesters gather in downtown Calgary on first day of G7 in Alberta
A 'designated demonstration zone' is set up outside city hall during the leaders summit in Kananaskis
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Calgary's Municipal Plaza on Sunday to chant, march and bring attention to the many concerns they feel world leaders need to grapple with when they meet in Kananaskis, Alta.
Calgary police estimated roughly 500 people showed up outside city hall on Day 1 of the three-day G7 Summit.
Protesters sported signs and waved flags in a bid to put a spotlight on issues affecting Kashmiri, Ethiopian, Palestinian and Ukrainian people, as well as to support Canadian sovereignty, water security and Indigenous rights, among other concerns.
In a statement late Sunday afternoon, police said several protests took place in downtown Calgary.
Most were peaceful but some demonstrators did not comply with traffic safety laws and interrupted emergency services, the statement said. Officers will review evidence gathered Sunday to decide if further action is needed.
Roughly 500 people arrived outside Calgary city hall to protest as the G7 leaders' summit begins in nearby Kananaskis on Sunday. (Monty Kruger/CBC)
The G7 summit, which runs through Tuesday, brings together Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Other leaders like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also invited to attend the event.
Security officials call the summit the "largest domestic security operation" a country can take on.
A
designated area for demonstrations was set up in Calgary's Municipal
Plaza as the G7 summit begins on Sunday in nearby Kananaskis, Alta. (Anne-Marie Trickey/CBC News)
The RCMP and Calgary police established "designated demonstration zones" ahead of the event in three locations around Calgary, as well as in Banff at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. RCMP said the zones are set up to ensure minimal disruption to critical infrastructure, as well as for the safety of demonstrators, the public and law enforcement. Some protest groups have pushed back against the idea of these zones.
As of 1 p.m. on Sunday, police said no protesters were present at the other two local demonstration zones at East Victoria Park and near the Calgary airport. Demonstrations are expected to begin in the zone in Banff on Monday.
Protesters
who gathered outside city hall in downtown Calgary on Sunday marched
through the city's streets that afternoon. The demonstration was held to
coincide with the first day of the G7 summit that's bringing world
leaders to Kananaskis, Alta. for a three-day event. (Joel Dryden/CBC)
Later in the afternoon, protesters marched through Calgary's downtown. The march traveled down Macleod Trail, working its way to Stephen Avenue, before returning to city hall.
A large portion of protesters then set out again from city hall, travelling down Stephen Avenue.
Another group of protesters took to the streets for a driving protest on Sunday while flying banners in support of Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh homeland in northern India.
Dozens of vehicles set out from the Dashmesh Culture Centre in Martindale. The protestors returned to the centre after driving around neighbouring northeast communities.
The group was also demonstrating against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to the G7 by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Canada-India relations have been on shaky ground since former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP alleged Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian Khalistani separatist who was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in B.C. in 2023.
Protestors
displaying banners and flags in support of Khalistan drove around
northeast Calgary on Sunday. More pro-Khalistan driving protests are
expected on Monday and Tuesday. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
Calgary police said the lanes adjacent to the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in downtown Calgary will be closed starting Sunday until the end of the day on Tuesday. The closure includes the Fairmont parking lane, and the right traffic lane eastbound on 9th Avenue S.W. and the right lane northbound on 1st Street S.W.
Many of the activists and community groups who met in Calgary on Saturday for a "people's forum" also attended Sunday's downtown protests.
The
Calgary Police Service said officers directed demonstrators to comply
with traffic safety rules during what it called an "unauthorized march." (Joel Dryden/CBC)
Yasmeen Khan of the International League of Peoples' Struggle said she was happy to see the turnout to Sunday's protest, adding attendees were looking forward to the day's march.
"Everybody's clamouring to go on the streets peacefully, but they just want to march and make it visible that people care — people in Calgary actually care that there is a G7 summit happening that does not include the people," Khan said.
Khan also criticized the designated demonstration zones being set up instead of more direct communication between protesters and summit attendees.
"Why can't we have a direct conversation with our so-called leaders instead of being enclosed in one place and then it being transmitted over to Kananaskis? I think that is another reason we want to be on the streets," Khan said.
"If we are not allowed into these halls, into these corridors of privilege, then we will take the streets."
Pro-Palestinian
protesters outside city hall on Sunday, June 15. Calgary's Municipal
Plaza is one of three designated demonstration zones where protesters
can gather during the summit. Police have said people have the right to
assemble outside the zones. (Nick Brizuela/CBC)
Mary Oxendale-Spensley is a member of the Calgary Raging Grannies group that also attended the protest on Sunday.
She said her group is pushing back against Trump's comments about making Canada the 51st state, to protect Canada's water security, and in support of Palestinian, African and Ukrainian demonstrators.
Isa Carlin from Migrante Alberta attended the demonstration to advocate for the rights of Filipino migrant workers in the province. The combination of groups protesting together is a sign of solidarity, Carlin said.
"We really want to show our voice, and say that we're united with other people, with migrants from other backgrounds, with Canadian working people, with Indigenous people, with people passionate about climate and environmental issues," Carlin said.
"We're united with all of them in saying the G7 summit doesn't represent us and we need a system that does."
Protesters are expected to gather in Municipal Plaza again on Monday as the three-day G7 Summit continues. (Nick Brizuela/CBC)
One protester, Ashley Lacombe, arrived with a sign saying "Canada Strong Free and United."
Lacombe, who says she works in oil and gas in Alberta, said she wanted to send a message that amid talks of a referendum on Alberta separatism, that not all Albertans are in favour of leaving Canada.
"A lot of Canadians don't feel that we want to be part of the U.S., but there is some sympathies within Alberta," Lacombe said.
"There is talk about a separatist movement and I just wanted it to be clear that not everyone in Alberta particularly feels that way. I definitely believe in a unified Canada."
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With files from Joel Dryden, Anne-Marie Trickey and Brendan Coulter
Highway protests won't be tolerated during G7 summit in Kananaskis, head of security says
RCMP-led group working to finalize 'demonstration zone' location in Banff
The head of security for the upcoming G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis says his group is still working with the Town of Banff on the precise location of a "demonstration zone" for protesters to express their opinions, but it's already been determined where demonstrators won't be allowed — on highways.
"We're not going to be able to tolerate a protest on a highway," Alberta RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall told The Homestretch on Thursday.
"It's not safe for motorists; it's not safe for the protesters, themselves. And so that's something that we would look to quickly move off of a highway, in the event that a protest established on the highway."
In addition to his role as a Mountie, Hall is security director for the RCMP-led Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG) for the G7 event. The group includes personnel from numerous law-enforcement agencies as well as the military.
The Town of Banff has expressed concerns about the group's initial plan to set up a "demonstration zone" in Banff's Central Park, which is on the banks of the Bow River with a busy pedestrian bridge on one side and the Banff Avenue bridge on the other.
"The Town of Banff commends the efforts to facilitate freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, but we feel it would be more appropriate to allow demonstrators to congregate in places where the G7 leaders may be able to see and hear their message, while decreasing the impact on traffic," town manager Kelly Gibson told the Rocky Mountain Outlook in April.
He noted the G7's international media centre will be located at the Banff Centre on Tunnel Mountain, about a two-kilometre drive from Central Park.
"This will be a busy time for visitation, and people who are enticed to come here by a demonstration zone will face challenges with parking, accommodation, and they may never be seen by the leaders or media they want to reach," Gibson said at the time.
International journalists are expected to travel by bus daily between the Banff Centre and the summit site in Kananaskis, he noted, which is about an hour's drive away.
Hall said Thursday the RCMP-led security group still plans to put a demonstration zone in Banff but is working with the town to determine the exact location.
The
Banff Centre campus, overlooking the Bow Valley, in Banff, Alta. The G7
international media centre will be located here during the summit. (Banff Centre/Facebook)
"It's a best practice to work with organizers of protest and try to encourage them to use a space that allows them to have visibility in terms of delivering their message but is a space that the police are able to safely manage," he said.
"I'll acknowledge the Banff site is a real concern for local businesses and residents, and those are concerns we've heard, and we continue to work with the community in terms of identifying where that site will be."
The mayor of Banff declined an interview request Thursday, pending confirmation of where the demonstration zone will go.
"We are also waiting to hear when a public information session about G7 is to be scheduled, and the G7 organizers have been invited to present to Banff town council," the town's communications manager, Jason Darrah, told CBC News in an email.
Hall said similar demonstration zones will be established in Calgary.
The leaders' summit in Kananaskis is set for June 15 to 17.
Accreditation will be required to enter and exit a "controlled access zone" around the summit location from June 10 to 18.
A map of the Kananaskis area where the controlled access zone will be established. (CBC)
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With files from CBC's The Homestretch and Jim Brown
Military vehicles and aircraft en route, info centre opens for Kananaskis G7 summit
Smaller G7 finance ministers' meeting set for Banff in late May
The 2025 G7 leaders' summit is coming to Kananaskis in June but activity has already begun in preparation for the international event.
Officials have now opened a G7 community information centre at the Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino, located at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 40, about 75 kilometres west of Calgary.
The centre is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, until June 9. It's there to answer questions or address concerns area residents may have about the summit, which will see a large police and military presence as well as travel restrictions in a controlled access zone where world leaders will be attendance.
Employees with Global Affairs Canada's Summits Management Office will also be at the centre to address questions or concerns related to accreditation for people supporting or participating in the G7 event.
Accreditation will be required to enter and exit the controlled access zone from June 10 to 18.
A map of the Kananaskis area where the controlled access zone will be established. (CBC)
The RCMP are leading an integrated group of police and military personnel that will be responsible for security at the summit.
They said Wednesday that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) plan to move "a substantial number of military vehicles" from Edmonton to Calgary, May 15 to 30, for the event.
"The CAF is enhancing and complementing the safety and security efforts by providing planning support, air mobility support, rural terrain surveillance, chemical biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive response, as well as aerospace defence," the RCMP said in a release.
"Before and during the G7, the public may see members of the military working alongside members of the RCMP conducting operations at various locations in the area."
The RCMP have also said the public can expect to see Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft flying in and around Kananaskis, "sometimes at lower altitudes and in formations of multiple aircraft, as aircrews practice procedures and familiarize themselves with operating in the region."
The aircraft include CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, CH-147F Chinook helicopters and CH-146 Griffon helicopters.
The leaders' summit in Kananaskis is set for June 15 to 17.
G7 finance ministers meeting in Banff
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 countries are set to convene in Banff from May 20 to 22.
"This will be an opportunity to discuss issues impacting global economic stability and growth ahead of the 2025 G7 leaders' summit," the event billing explains.
The gathering will be much smaller and involve far fewer security restrictions than the main summit, said Fraser Logan, a spokesperson for the integrated security group led by the RCMP.
Some security personnel will be involved, Logan said, but their presence will be less conspicuous than what the general public will see around the main leaders' summit in June, which is expected to involve thousands of international delegates and journalists, along with world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Jason Darrah, communications manager with the Town of Banff, said there is no expected impact on visitors or residents due to the finance ministers' meeting in May.
"There are no planned road disruptions, detours or any other restrictions," he said in an email.
"There will be more impact with events such as the first Banff Farmers Market of the year on May 21."
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