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OTTAWA \u2014 Prime Minister Mark Carney pulled off a successful performance hosting the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., say some world leaders and foreign policy experts commenting on his perceived pragmatism and savviness.<\/p>\n
Fen Osler Hampson, international affairs professor at Carleton University, said Carney guided the G7 \u201cthrough the diplomatic Rockies,\u201d navigating \u201cshifting weather\u201d on the global front and avoiding \u201cavalanches and treacherous cliffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s summit took place amid escalating violence between Israel and Iran, which pushed U.S. President Donald Trump to leave Alberta a day early. On Monday, G7 leaders published a statement affirming that Israel \u201chas a right to defend itself\u201d and that Iran \u201ccan never have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hampson described Carney as pragmatic and said he was \u201cquite deft\u201d in handling the G7 statement on the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was able to keep Trump on board on that statement,\u201d Hampson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hampson also said that productive sessions continued on G7 priorities, like global security, despite Trump\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n
During the two-day summit, Carney held bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including Trump. Carney\u2019s office said Monday that the U.S. president agreed to have a deal on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. by mid-July.<\/p>\n
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a press conference Tuesday that he supports how Carney is dealing with Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s dealing with a different type of cat with Trump. You don\u2019t know which way this guy\u2019s going to bounce from morning to morning,\u201d Ford said. \u201cHe wakes up, eats his Wheaties and all of a sudden everything\u2019s changing. So I\u2019m going to back the prime minister 100 per cent and I know all the premiers will. We need to get a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford said it was \u201cgood news\u201d that Carney and Trump agreed to put a deal together over the next month. Despite Trump\u2019s early departure, Ford said \u201cat least they had an opportunity to meet, and I\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get a deal done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney seemed to impress several world leaders who attended this year\u2019s summit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after leaving the G7 summit, Trump said he had a \u201cgood time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will host the G7 next year, said Tuesday that Carney fulfilled his mission as G7 host to preserve the unity of the multilateral organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t ask the Canadian presidency to resolve every issue on earth today, that would be unfair,\u201d said Macron. \u201cBut he held the group together. He did it with his characteristic elegance and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media that he had an \u201cexcellent\u201d meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. He says he complimented him and the Canadian government for \u201csuccessfully\u201d hosting the summit.<\/p>\n
Canada and India agreed to designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries.<\/p>\n
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials last fall, following news that law enforcement had linked agents of the Indian government to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the G7 summit, Carney also pledged $4.3 billion in new support for Ukraine\u2019s defence, including $2 billion for weapons like drones, ammunition and armoured vehicles and a $2.3-billion loan to help Ukraine rebuild its infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Hampson said the announcement of the support package for Ukraine highlights that Carney is positioning Canada as a leading supporter of Ukraine among G7 countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s showing diplomatic agility, a results-driven approach to this meeting,\u201d Hampson said.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the summit, Carney faced some backlash for handing out invitations to some world leaders, like Modi. More than 100 Sikhs gathered in Calgary on Monday to condemn Modi ahead of his visit to the G7 leaders\u2019 summit.<\/p>\n
Hampson says \u201cthere never was a good time to try to turn the page with the Indians\u201d but that other countries are always invited to the summit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be odd not to have the world\u2019s fifth largest economy at that meeting, right?,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Srdjan Vucetic, a professor at the University of Ottawa\u2019s graduate school of public and international affairs, said any criticisms of Carney\u2019s invitations are likely going to be \u201cmuted\u201d and that he can claim he\u2019s starting his role as prime minister \u201cpragmatically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vucetic said Carney did \u201cgreat\u201d at the summit and that he proved he was \u201csavvy\u201d during his meeting with Trump, including when he jumped in to interrupt Trump\u2019s rant to move on to other topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n