ottawa –
Canada will take over the G7 presidency in 2025, leading the forum of the world’s seven industrialized nations amid political instability at home and abroad.
Let’s take a look at what the G7 means and what’s at stake.
What is G7?
The G7 includes the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada and the European Union. For 50 years, this group of governments has orchestrated how liberal democracies respond to economic and social challenges.
The G7 has no charter, secretariat, or permanent administrative body. Decisions are made by consensus, without formal voting.
The rotating presidency will see a series of meetings across the host country with senior officials from G7 countries coordinating policies ranging from defense to digital regulation. Some conferences will include civil society groups, business leaders, and organized labor.
The event culminates in a Leaders’ Summit where heads of government gather to assess the world’s major challenges. It often ends in communiqués that set the tone for other developed democracies and can shape global policy at the United Nations.
Canada joined the group in 1976 and this year will be its seventh chair. Ottawa is scheduled to host a summit in Kananaskis, Alta., from June 15 to 17.
Canada is also known for the G7 Study Group at the University of Toronto, an independent project that monitors whether countries are adhering to the commitments agreed to through the G7.
Russia has been a member of the group since 1997, which became the G8 until 2014 when other members ousted Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Why is it a member of the G7?
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has called the 2022 G7 “the steering committee of the free world.”
Senator Peter Boehm, a former diplomat who played a central role in Canada’s participation in the G7 for decades, said the G7 is important for Canada to exert influence and protect its economic and security interests. He said that it is a great tool. “Our participation in the G7 is potentially the crown jewel of our foreign policy.”
The group initially focused primarily on economic issues. However, with the rise of countries such as China and India, the G7 has shifted its focus to the rule of law, human rights, and market openness.
The G7 is also pushing ahead with projects such as a Canadian-led surveillance service that tracks how adversaries spread disinformation through social media, especially during general elections.
When hosting the G7, countries often launch “signature initiatives,” which are typically multi-year development projects that receive significant funding from peer countries.
Canada last hosted it in 2018 in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, where the Liberal Party raised about $3.8 billion for the education of women and girls in crisis and conflict situations. In Huntsville, Ont., in 2010, the Conservative Party pledged $1.1 billion for maternal health and called on the country to focus a portion of its aid budget on this cause.
Boehm argued that “frank, unscripted discussions” between leaders at the summit would help get them on the same page “despite near-universal skepticism among first-time attendees.”
What issues is Canada focused on?
Global Affairs Canada has so far only said that Canada will advance “shared priorities such as building an economy that benefits everyone, combating climate change, and managing rapidly evolving technologies.” There is.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to support projects researching how artificial intelligence can be used without violating human rights and democratic values, and last week said he would defend “peace and freedom in Ukraine.” .
He is widely expected to stick to some of Canada’s key global priorities, including supporting Ukraine, countering foreign interference and reforming financial institutions such as the World Bank to better serve developing countries. are.
Boehm said Trudeau could step up his support for the World Health Organization or join calls for reform of the organization. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has called for the agency to be withdrawn from the agency, even though it could be critical to fighting the bird flu pandemic.
Civil society groups have rallied Western powers to confiscate Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s war, as well as cuts to foreign aid spending since the COVID-19 pandemic that have hampered progress in eradicating a major disease. They are proposing other priorities, such as repealing the .
Former Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy and others have argued that Canada should restart its 2002 efforts to reduce its stockpile of chemical and nuclear weapons. Mr Axworthy said this could help put safeguards in place to prevent nuclear powers from pursuing nuclear weapons.
“I think this opportunity with the G7 is a chance for Canada to regain its footing in an effective diplomatic role in the world, and I think we’ve let a lot of that fall by the wayside,” he said. The Global Exchange podcast was published by the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs last October.
What kind of year will this year be?
Last year’s host country, Italy, held 24 meetings from March to November 2024, ranging from meetings for tourism ministers to meetings on science and technology.
Boehm said Canada is likely to hold fewer meetings and pair them, perhaps with the foreign and defense ministers holding parallel meetings in one city, followed by one joint meeting. said that it was high. He said the last time Ottawa did this was to save on large security costs.
“The challenge for Canada is not only the timing and how it fits into our country’s political and electoral calendar, but also what initiatives to take and where we can find agreement,” Boehm said. ” he said.
Timing has been an issue for Ottawa so far. Prime Minister Trudeau missed his goal of hosting the North American Leaders’ Summit last year, but people like Boehm have argued that scheduling would be difficult amid elections in the United States and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Canada needs to decide who to invite to the summit. Canada’s 2018 summit brought together leaders from island nations to discuss the impacts of climate change and ocean plastic pollution.
South Africa will chair this year separately from the G20, which is a much broader group and has far less consensus than the G7, but Boehm said it would be “very prudent” to have the country represented in Alberta. he said. South Korea has expressed its desire to join the G7 as a permanent member.
What about Trump?
The last time Canada hosted the G7, President Trump overshadowed the summit by refusing to sign the communiqué during his first administration. He resigned early, accusing Trudeau of being “very dishonest and weak” over the tariff dispute.
Boehm said the communiqué required two late-night negotiations because the Trump administration was out of sync with other administrations on climate change and ways to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.
He noted that some summits end with the host country issuing a statement summarizing the negotiations if countries are unable to reach an agreement, but last time Canada avoided that. said.
President Trump’s return to the White House this month has created new uncertainty in the G7, as he prefers to deal directly rather than coordinating within multilateral groups.
Boehm said the G7 is far more important to Canada than the United States, and Ottawa must work with Trump’s inner circle, especially if Trump keeps changing his core team.
Meanwhile, Canadian immigration lawyers said he was technically barred from entering Canada after a New York court deemed him a convicted felon last May. That means he may need special permission from Ottawa to enter the country.
What about the chaos in Ottawa?
Ahead of last month’s political turmoil, Prime Minister Trudeau had repeatedly talked about his impending role as chairman of the G7 summit in June, leading observers to believe he would do his best to hold on to a minority government into the fall. Ta.
However, the sudden resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and the resulting chaos in the caucus could result in Trudeau being overthrown in a vote of confidence and Canadians going to the polls.
If Trudeau presides over the G7 summit in June, he will become the longest-serving prime minister of all time, Boehm said. “He will understand what he wants to achieve and which issues and themes are most relevant.”
Boehm added that he has “full confidence” that Canadian officials will successfully complete the G7’s term, regardless of who becomes prime minister.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2025.
