Carney says he had several talks with Trump during G7 despite no official meeting

“I had seven or eight discussions with President Trump over the course of the last 36 hours,” Carney told reporters in the picturesque resort town of Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps.

He said they spoke about the economy, artificial intelligence, Ukraine and the U.S.-Iran peace deal. Carney also said he got Trump a birthday present and that he “likes it a lot.”

Asked why no bilateral meeting took place, Carney said: “There’s no message in that.”

The summit was delayed by 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.

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement to end the war in Iran and that he had authorized an end to the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. He later said the strait wouldn’t open until Friday when the deal is set to be signed in Switzerland.

In a Tuesday interview with CNN, Carney said he had seen the preliminary agreement for Iran and it “exceeded” his expectations.

He said Canada will do what it can to help put the deal in place.

“It creates a possibility of a game changer,” Carney told reporters Wednesday, adding there has been a change in tone and possibilities in Lebanon and in Ukraine.

“The very fact of it, and the fact that so many countries were involved in its development and are vested in its development, does create positive knock-on effects.”

Carney said there’s no Canadian money involved in the deal.

The summit comes as trade talks between Canada and the U.S. remain tense, with no clear decision on whether to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the G7.

Canada recently agreed to reduce its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 6.1 per cent, with an annual import cap of 49,000 vehicles — about three per cent of Canada’s market. In turn, China suspended its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.

Trump previously criticized the deal, threatening new tariffs and saying Canada wouldn’t be allowed to be a “drop-off port” for Chinese vehicles to enter the U.S.

But on Tuesday, Carney was heard telling Trump about Canada’s plan. The president responded: “That’s good, I like it.”

Carney later told reporters they had a followup conversation about it.

“We are only interested in Chinese investment in Canada when it’s material Canadian production,” Carney said. “We’re not interested in kits being put together in Canada.

“We will only do what’s in the interest of Canadian consumers (and) Canadian workers.”

While at the summit, Carney met with the leaders of Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, India, Italy, South Korea and Germany.

During his meeting with Modi, Carney said the countries are aiming to complete their trade agreement by the G20 summit later this year.

Tuesday also included Canadian announcements of more sanctions on Russia and talks to purchase military jets from Italy.

Over the course of the summit, G7 leaders issued six joint statements, making several pledges such as reforming how developing countries access financing, collaborating more on cancer research and responding to Ebola.

There was also a commitment to preventing the smuggling of migrants and tackling drug trafficking.

In a statement on geopolitical issues, the leaders said they stood united in their support for Ukraine and the peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.

The document said the leaders recognize “the breakthrough and the opportunity” in the Middle East and that they support and are ready to contribute to the implementation of the peace deal between the U.S. and Iran. It also said they committed to accelerate the diversification of energy supply routes to reduce global vulnerability to the Strait of Hormuz and to increase our energy stocks.

“We welcome the potential for Canada to deliver significant additional capacity to global markets in coming years,” said the document.

On Wednesday, Carney said there’s diversification within that region so not all energy is coming out through the strait, but not enough.

“There’s intention to build out a series of energy infrastructure there. Canada has the ability to do several things, and we’re on the path to do several things,” he said, noting liquefied natural gas and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which he said will go ahead.

In another document, the leaders said they stand united in their “unwavering” support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They said they agreed to increase defence supports and consider extending licences to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.

The leaders also said they would strengthen their sanctions on Russia, including those on the oil and gas sectors.

Before returning to Canada, Carney is taking part in a G7 working session on economic growth and will attend a luncheon with AI companies.

Earlier this month, the Liberal government introduced an online harms bill that includes a plan to force social media companies to ban kids under 16 from their platforms. Bill C-34 would also regulate AI chatbots.

International support for age restrictions on social media has been mounting since Australia became the first country to introduce a ban, with countries including Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Britain, France, the U.K., Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea introducing or considering similar measures.

by The Canadian Press

Carney says he had several talks with Trump during G7 despite no official meeting

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