Carney Meets Macron Before G7 Summit in French Alps
Canada's PM heads to Paris to pass the G7 presidency baton to France and discuss bilateral priorities ahead of next week's summit.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Paris Friday evening to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l'Elysée ahead of the G7 summit next week in Évian-les-Bains. The two leaders will deliver joint statements and Carney will hold a news conference before attending a dinner hosted by Macron.
The bilateral is framed as Canada passing the G7 presidency baton to France. A government official said the leaders will likely discuss how to advance a strategic partnership between the two countries. Sen. Peter Boehm, who served as personal representative for Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau at six G7 summits, said the pre-summit visit offers an opportunity for the two leaders to strategize. He added that Carney is expected to demonstrate "pragmatic diplomacy" at the international event, given attention his recent Davos speech drew worldwide.
At the World Economic Forum in January, Carney said the world has entered a risky new age of great power rivalries and that Canada is working to expand non-U.S. trade in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies.
The bilateral may be one of the last between the two leaders. Macron's second term ends in May 2027, and the Évian-les-Bains summit will mark his tenth and final G7 summit as president.
France says priorities for the summit will include settling major geopolitical crises through G7 support to Ukraine, combating crime, and protecting children online. Earlier this year, French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15. Canada introduced its own online safety legislation this week: Bill C-34 would require social media companies to block access for users under 16, though platforms can obtain an exemption if they put sufficient safeguards in place. The bill also regulates AI chatbots by imposing a duty to act responsibly, including measures to lower the risk of harmful content and crisis intervention protocols for self-harm, suicide, or violence.
Macron applauded the move on social media Thursday, saying "thanks for joining the movement."