Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to Evian-les-Bains in France for the G7 summit, a day after US President Donald Trump announced an agreement to end the conflict in Iran.
Trump announced the deal on Sunday, adding that he had approved the end of the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but later said the strait would not open until Friday when the deal was officially signed.
On the tarmac Monday morning, Carney said he will have an opportunity at the G7 to see what Canada and other countries can do to help strengthen progress.
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement that they welcome the announcement of the agreement between the US and Iran.
“This is a time of opportunity to restore stability to the region and stabilize the global economy,” said a statement issued on Monday.
The statement said it was “vital” that detailed negotiations be concluded and that the agreement be implemented quickly and fully.
The leaders said they would support that effort.
They also said the urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is essential, and they are willing to play their part to achieve that, including “a strong and independent defense policy to ensure commercial shipping and carry out demining operations.”
“Iran must never get a nuclear weapon,” the statement said. “We are ready to cooperate with the US, Iran and (the International Atomic Energy Agency) until now. We are willing to remove the appropriate sanctions because of the clear, affirmative steps taken by Iran on its nuclear program.”
The leaders said they would work with the US, Iran and regional partners to “seize the moment, seize the momentum and find a long-term deal.”
“We reaffirm our full support for the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the importance of a strong ceasefire,” they said.
Carney said in a statement on social media that Canada was clear that a long-term ceasefire must ensure safe and unhindered passage through the Strait of Hormuz and address the “full threat” of Iran’s nuclear program.
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“As negotiations continue, we urge all parties to maintain a positive dialogue and avoid escalation,” Carney said.
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While in Ireland at the weekend, Carney told Irish news agency RTE that the war in Iran was “the number one topic” at the G7, adding that the war in Ukraine was also an important issue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the conference.
On Monday, the prime minister is scheduled to meet European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Later, he will attend a dinner on national and economic issues.
It is expected that Trump will attend this year’s conference like other G7 leaders, and the heads of Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea will participate.
Although it is not known whether Carney will meet with Trump in Evian, Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are expected to communicate on the sidelines of the summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron held this summit – his last as head of state – under the theme of economic inequality.
Carney told reporters in Ireland that standards, rules and liability for artificial intelligence will also be part of the discussions.
France has said there will be no joint, comprehensive statement – a document that has been regularly released throughout the conference but has been difficult to produce amid growing tensions in the country. France says it will instead issue a series of statements during the conference.
Before the conference, Carney said on Sunday that the US will participate in a new world order in which no one institution or country will have all the answers.
“What one cannot do right now in a rapidly changing world system is to rely on one set of institutions, one group, one country to provide answers,” he said during a visit to Ireland.
“You have to know what you want, what you need, how to serve your citizens, and then go out and get it.”
The Prime Minister said the other day that the “strings” of the new world order can be woven into the upcoming conference.
Asked what role the US could play in that new arrangement, Carney said that other countries would be on the same page on issues such as taking action on artificial intelligence and child safety.
“Canada, at the forefront, will take the safety of children seriously and feel that laissez-faire is not the answer to the safety of children. And so we will take action. Not everyone is around that table,” he said.
“In some of those cases, the United States will be four squares behind … but not all.”
Earlier this month, the Liberal government introduced an online harassment bill that includes a plan to force social media companies to ban children under 16 from their platforms. Bill C-34 will also regulate AI chatbots.
International support for age limits on social media has been growing since Australia became the first country to introduce a ban, with countries including Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea introducing or considering similar measures.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that his government is working to prevent access to social media by children under the age of 16.
“These days children need to find their feet in a world where technology is entering every area of ​​their lives,” said Starmer on social media. I can’t let that go on anymore. So we give back their childhoods.
The Liberal government will also introduce a new privacy bill this week that it says will include the protection of children’s data. It is also expected to include measures to ensure that Canadians’ data is not used for price surveillance.
The G7 includes Canada, France, the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy. The European Union is also participating in the negotiations, although the bloc cannot be counted in the name of the group.
