Canada Participates in the 49th G7 Summit
From May 19th – 21st, the Group of Seven (G7) reconvened in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Summit’s 49th annual gathering.
G7 Summit Participants
Undergoing occasional membership fluctuations since inception due to instances of political alignment and turpitude, the G7 core consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, who is considered a non-enumerated member. Although undeniably distinct governments on a multitude of fronts, this intergovernmental political forum was forged through the members’ shared alignment as established global economic powers that have protected principles of liberal democracy.
In addition to the core members, the G7 Summit was also attended by a multitude of invited countries and international organizations, who were selected for their demonstrated values and perspectives that complimented the Summit’s agenda and ultimate aim of bolstering multilateral cooperation.
Global Issues Addressed
Building upon the pressing issues raised during the 48th forum in which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the multidimensional factors to build a healthy society (energy, environment, health) were key points of collaboration, this Summit was framed as a pivotal period for the international community, as due to a multitude of compounding political factors, the foundation of global order is now considered at risk.
Through the Summit’s nine working sessions that demonstrated multigovernmental alignment, the following topics considered key to securing international order were addressed:
- Russia’s aggression against Ukraine: The G7 reaffirmed its condemnation of Russia for its war on Ukraine. Through the jointly published communique on the matter, the leaders vowed to starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment, and services that support the war. Further additional measures were announced, which included taking steps to restrict and limit Russia’s trade, use, and revenue from diamonds, energy, and metals. Actions against third-party countries who materially support Russia and assist in the avoidance of sanctions will be further pursued.
- Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation: As an ongoing point of attention at the G7, discussions were deepened to advance realistic and practical efforts for a world without nuclear weapons in the modern security climate.
- Global economy, finance, and sustainable development: In effort to maintain and reinforce financial stability and resilience, the G7 leaders collaborated upon strategies to improve global supply chains that uphold international rules and norms. This included further endorsement of the shared commitment to mobilize up to $600 billion by 2027 for the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.
- Climate change, energy and environment: Considered integral due to the energy impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine and security concerns regarding China, the necessity of energy diversification, development, and trade between G7 allies was emphasized. Furthermore, as an expected topic for an international forum, the efforts to achieve net-zero as per the Paris Agreement were highlighted. With the reality that major emitters need to take further efforts in order to achieve this rapidly approaching deadline, the G7 directed its focus upon promoting engagement with developing and emerging countries to speed up emission reductions.
- Food security and health: Following the mass state of international medical distress that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, future pandemic preparations and measures to alleviate the evident state of global health inequality were strategized. The ongoing state of global food insecurity was also raised, with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, appearing at the Summit to emphasize Ukrainian grain exports and security.
- Engagement with international partners: As the Summit included participation from likewise invited states and international organizations outside the G7 core, the ultimate aim of broadened involvement was to revitalize and encourage further international cooperation. As the Indo-Pacific region was deemed especially politically important at the Summit, great alignment was demonstrated with the Government of Canada’s recently released Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Canada’s Engagement
In addition to Canada’s multilateral engagement at the Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau also participated in a standalone meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio. A relationship that has been developing over recent months regards Japan’s LNG and Canada’s battery metals supply chain aspirations. During the meeting, both countries agreed upon the need to further collaborate and act as a united front to jointly address the security threats posed by China, North Korea, and Russia.
From a strategic perspective, the steady progress on implementing the Japan – Canada Action Plan for Contributing to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Region was welcomed, in which the two leaders concurred to accelerating the cooperation on battery supply chains, as well as industrial science and technology initiatives.
In Conclusion
As an international forum that Canada typically finds fruitful to engage in, alignment with the Government of Canada’s existing plans and priorities were reaffirmed on multiple fronts, including the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, and unwavering support for Ukraine. Although lofty long-term political promises were prevalent in some regard, the G7 did serve as a conductive representation for strengthened political allyship for Canada and beyond during a period of unwavering global political, economic, and security distress.
The next G7 Summit is scheduled to take place in June 2024, and will be hosted by Italy.
