Senior representatives of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies have descended on southern Ontario amid rising conflict between the nations and their long-time ally, United States, over trade tariffs, higher defense spending and the Gaza peace plan.
The Canadian Foreign Minister, Anita Anand, said in an interview that “the relationship [with the US] has to continue across a range of issues” despite trade pressures, as she prepared to host US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and their counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday for the summit.
Other foreign ministers invited are from Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.
Critical points of contention in the talks on Tuesday include the uncertainty over long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, which Anand said, “must be upheld”, and defense spending.
All G7 members, except Japan, are members of NATO, and have been asked to spend 5 per cent of their annual gross domestic product on defense. While a number of countries have agreed, others have not, including Canada and Italy, who are furthest from that goal.
Anand said Canada’s recent budget includes $80 billion Canadian (US$57 billion) in defense spending, which they plan to increase gradually.
“We are going to reach 2 per cent this year and 5 per cent of GDP by 2035,” she said.
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The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Lake Ontario near the US border comes is strained this year after US President Donald Trump ended trade talks with Canada after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US that upset him. This followed bitterness over Trump’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologised for the ad and said last week that he’s ready to resume trade talks when the Americans are ready.
“Every complex relationship has numerous touch points,” Anand said in the interview, “On the trade file, there is continued work to be done – just as there is work to be done on the numerous touch points outside the trade file, and that’s where Secretary Rubio and I come in because the relationship has to continue across a range of issues.”
Canada’s priorities also include ending the war in Ukraine, Arctic security and security in Haiti. There will be a working lunch on energy and critical minerals that are needed for anything from smartphones to fighter jets. Canada has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Meanwhile, Britain says it will send 13 million pounds ($17 million) to help patch up Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches and to repair power, heating and water supplies and humanitarian support for Ukrainians.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper made the announcement ahead of the meeting, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin “is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches,” but the British support will help keep the lights and heating on.
There have also been G7 disagreements over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with Britain, Canada and France announcing they would recognize a Palestinian state even without a resolution to the conflict. With the Russia-Ukraine war, most G7 members have taken a tougher line on Russia than Trump has.
US officials said Rubio, who also may have meetings with other G7 counterparts and at least one of the invited non-G7 foreign ministers, would be focused on initiatives to halt fighting in Ukraine and Gaza, maritime security, Haiti, Sudan, supply chain resiliency and critical minerals.
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