The heads of the world’s seven most powerful economies are meeting amid a U.S.-led tariff war and global uncertainty
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KANANASKIS, ALTA. — Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump expect to sign a new trade deal within 30 days, marking a major turn in bilateral relations and signalling a potential end to the ongoing trade war.
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The major development came in a readout by the prime minister’s office of a roughly hour-long meeting between both leaders Monday morning.
“Prime Minister Carney and President Trump discussed immediate trade pressures and priorities for each country’s workers and businesses, and shared updates on key issues raised in negotiations on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S.,” reads the readout.
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“To that end, the leaders agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within the coming 30 days,” it continues. The PMO clarified that meant a new deal would be signed within that timeline.
During a media availability earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he felt a new trade deal with Canada could be achievable shortly, but did not suggest a timeline.
In a press conference after the Trump and Carney bilateral, Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc also said talks were accelerating with the Americans but omitted to mention the 30 day deadline.
Speaking to reporters during a photo op with Carney in the middle of their meeting, Trump said his and the prime minister’s views on tariffs differ widely.
“I think we have different concepts,” said Trump on trade with Canada. “I have a tariff concept. Mark (Carney) has a different concept, which is something that some people like. But we’re going to see if we can get to the bottom of it today.”
Asked if a new deal could come within days or weeks, Trump said yes but noted that both parties had to come to an agreement.
Trump and Carney met for roughly one hour at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, half of which was one-on-one before they were joined by a coterie of advisors and their countries’ respective ambassadors.
“We’ve developed a very good relationship. And we’re going to be talking about trade and many other things,” Trump told U.S. and Canadian reporters crammed into the small meeting room.
The heads of the world’s seven most powerful economies are meeting amid a U.S.-led tariff war and global uncertainty over conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
But some of Trump’s comments Monday morning already set him apart from the rest of the G7 members, such as when he said that ejecting Russia from the annual meetings in 2014 was a mistake and that he is open to adding China to the summit.
Trump’s remarks at the onset of the summit Monday set the stage for what will be a high-tension two-day G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alta.
On the opening day of the summit, Trump was sporting a lapel pin featuring both Canadian and U.S. flags for what appears to be the first time in his current presidency.
In remarks made before the media on Monday morning, Carney wished Trump a belated happy birthday, which was Saturday. Trump also told reporters that he believes China, the world’s second-largest economy, should join the leaders of the seven most advanced economies in the world.
“Well, it’s not a bad idea. I don’t mind that,” said Trump. “If somebody wants to suggest China coming in, I think we — but you want to have people that you can talk to.”
The idea is likely to raise hackles among the Canadian delegation. During the election campaign, Carney said he believed China was the greatest threat to Canada’s national security.
Trump also criticized the decision to eject Russia from the G8 in 2014, following that country’s annexation of Crimea, and said that Vladimir Putin “was very insulted” by the decision.
He also wrongly blamed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for pushing for Russia’s ejection, which happened while Stephen Harper was prime minister.
In fact, Russia’s membership in the G8 was suspended in March 2014. While Obama was the American president at the time, Conservative Stephen Harper was Canada’s prime minister. Months later, Harper made international headlines at the Group of 20 Summit in Australia when he admonished Putin, then Russia’s president, to “get out of Ukraine.” Russia announced in January 2017 that it was permanently leaving the G8.
“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in, and I would say that that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago,” Trump said. “It was a mistake in that you spend so much time talking about Russia, and he’s no longer at the table, so it makes life more complicated, but you wouldn’t have had the war.”
However, while saying booting Russia from the G8 was a mistake, Trump stopped short of saying that Putin should be invited back.
“I’m not saying he should at this point, because too much water has gone over the dam, maybe. But it was a big mistake,” he said.
Following the bilateral meeting, Carney formally welcomed the other six G7 leaders during a brief ceremony before kicking off the first group session on the global economic outlook.
Trump appeared to have a slight limp while he walked towards the stage to shake Carney’s hand. On stage, the president and Carney commented on the weather, with Trump noting that weather services had predicted rain during a military parade in Washington during his birthday Saturday.
“Didn’t rain,” he added.
Monday morning’s meeting is the first since the two men met in Washington, D.C. in early May. Canada has been a major target of Trump’s trade and rhetorical belligerence. Although Trump has largely scaled back talk of annexing Canada, making its northern neighbour the 51st state, trade troubles remain top of mind for observers and Canadian diplomats. Canada will be pushing Trump this week on lowering the 50-per-cent tariffs placed on Canadian steel and aluminum and further tariffs on foreign vehicle imports.
Before flying to Canada on Sunday, Trump said, without providing any details, that he thinks “we’ll have a few new trade deals” to announce while at the G7.
“Our primary focus would be trade and trade with Canada, and I’m sure we can work something out,” Trump told reporters.
Carney told Trump that the G7 is “nothing without U.S. leadership and without your personal leadership.” Trump responded that he and Carney have developed a “very good relationship.”
Trump then took multiple other questions, about the Iran-Israel conflict and about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in American cities that have seen major street protests mobilized in response. Eventually, Carney stepped in, ending the questions, saying that the leaders had to get to other meetings.
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