Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had many informal talks with US President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in France, despite not having an official meeting.
In Tuesday’s interview with CNN, Carney also said he had seen the initial peace deal reached with Iran and that it “exceeded” his expectations.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement to end the war with Iran and that he has approved the end of the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. He later said that the strait will not open until Friday when the agreement will be signed in Switzerland.
“I’ve had seven or eight conversations with President Trump over the last 36 hours,” Carney told reporters in the picturesque town of Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps.
He said they talked about the economy, artificial intelligence, Ukraine and the US-Iran peace deal. Carney also said he received Trump’s birthday present and that he “loves it very much.”
Asked why there was no bilateral meeting, Carney said: “There is no message in that.”
Carney said Canada will do what it can to help broker a deal.
“It’s been a game changer,” Carney told reporters on Wednesday, adding that there had been a change in tone and opportunities in Lebanon and Ukraine.
“The very fact of it, and the fact that many countries are involved in its development and empowered in its development, creates positive results.”
Carney said no Canadian money was involved in the deal.
The summit comes as trade negotiations between Canada and the US remain tense, with no clear decision on the extension of the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the G7.
Canada recently agreed to reduce its 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 6.1 percent, on an annual import of 49,000 vehicles — about 3 percent of the Canadian market. In turn, China suspended its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.
Trump previously criticized the deal, threatening new tariffs and saying Canada would not be allowed to become a “dumping port” for Chinese cars entering the US.
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But on Tuesday, Carney was heard telling Trump about the Canadian plan. The president replied: “That’s good, I like it.”
Carney later told reporters to have a follow-up interview about it.
“We only like Chinese investment in Canada if it’s a Canadian product,” Carney said. “We are not interested in the integration of tools in Canada.
“We will only do what is in the best interest of Canadian consumers (and) Canadian workers.”
Carney also told reporters on the final day of the conference on Wednesday that the president had scheduled only bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Although Macron is the only G7 leader Trump has met at the G7 so far, he has held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, he held meetings with the leaders of Egypt and India and met with the leaders of Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, India, Italy, South Korea and Germany at the summit.
During his meeting with Modi, Carney said the countries intend to finalize their trade agreement at the G20 summit later this year.
Tuesday also included Canadian announcements of further sanctions on Russia and talks to buy military aircraft from Italy.
The conference was delayed a day after Trump announced that the White House would host a UFC fight on June 14, which is Flag Day in the United States and was Trump’s 80th birthday.
During the summit, the G7 leaders issued six joint statements, making several promises such as reforming how developing countries access financing, more cooperation in cancer research and the response to Ebola.
There was also a commitment to curbing the smuggling of migrants and combating drug trafficking.
In a statement on national affairs, the leaders said they stand together in their support for Ukraine and the peace agreement between the US and Iran.
The document said the leaders see “prosperity and opportunity” in the Middle East and that they support and are ready to contribute to the implementation of a peace agreement between the US and Iran. It also said that they are committed to accelerating the diversification of energy supply routes to reduce global risks in the Strait of Hormuz and to increase our energy stocks.
“We welcome the potential for Canada to bring additional strength to global markets in the coming years,” the document said.
On Wednesday, Carney said that there is diversity in that region so not all the energy is coming out of this problem, but it is not enough.
“There is an intention to build a chain of energy infrastructure there. Canada has the capacity to do a lot of things, and we are on the way to do a few things,” he said, noting liquefied natural gas and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which he said will continue.
In another text, the leaders said they are united in their support for Ukraine which is “unwavering” in defending its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They said they agreed to increase defense resources and consider extending licenses to allow for increased military production in Ukraine.
The leaders also said they would strengthen their sanctions against Russia, including the oil and gas sector.
Before returning to Canada, Carney is participating in a G7 working session on economic growth and will attend lunch with AI companies.
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, UK, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea introducing or considering similar measures.
