Highlights from the G7 meeting in Kananaskis

Canada is hosting the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has two days of meetings scheduled with world leaders, with discussion topics likely to include trade, the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East.

Here are some highlights from the first day of the summit. 

The countdown to a U.S.-Canada trade deal is on

Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to have a deal on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. by mid-July.

Canada's formal summary of the meeting says the leaders agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within 30 days.

Earlier in the day, Trump called himself "a tariff person" and said his primary focus at the G7 summit is trade.

The president, who was wearing a pin with the Canadian and American flags, also said he thinks a deal with Canada is achievable. Addressing media alongside Carney, Trump said Canada and the U.S. have "different concepts" about a potential deal.

Trump leaves early as Israel-Iran conflict overshadows G7 talks

The summit is taking place as violence escalates between Israel and Iran. The crisis prompted Trump to decide to leave the summit early, announcing he'd return to Washington Monday night after the leaders' dinner.

Carney's office confirmed talks took place Monday at the summit on a possible statement on Israel and Iran, but would not discuss the nature of the discussions. American media outlets have reported that Trump pushed back on signing such a statement. 

In a social media post Monday, Trump called for the immediate evacuation of the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German government, told media at the summit that "it'll be up to the American side to decide whether we're going to have a G7 statement on the Middle East or not."

Anti-Modi protesters meet in Calgary

More than 100 Sikhs gathered in Calgary to condemn Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to the G7 leaders' summit. 

Protester Kuljeet Singh said he hopes the protests, which are to be livestreamed to the summit in Kananaskis, will get the attention of the leaders.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has defended his decision to invite Modi to the summit, despite widespread criticism and the fact that security officials have linked his government to the murder of a Canadian man two years ago.

In 2023 and 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023.

Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police force had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide.

Modi was scheduled to arrive in Alberta on Monday evening. 

Thousands of delegates, journalists in Kananaskis for G7 summit

About 70 official guests and 2,000 delegates will participate in the G7 leaders' summit.

Camie Lamarche, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, says the Government of Canada is "pleased" to host guests and delegates from around the world.

A spokesperson from the prime minister's office says more than 1,000 members of the media from around the world were accredited for the G7 summit.

Lamarche says more than 500 journalists are working from the International Media Centre in Banff.

Kananaskis, where the summit is being held, had a population of 156 in 2021, says that year's census.

Canada is hosting leaders from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and the European Union. Carney also invited leaders of non-member countries to the summit, including Modi.

U.S. and U.K. cement a trade deal

Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that they are signing a trade deal that will slash tariffs on goods from both countries.

The two sides had tentatively agreed to a deal earlier this year but said Monday they cemented the pact in Alberta on the sidelines of the G7.

The deal doesn't include tariffs on steel, though talks are still ongoing about whether steel tariffs will be cut to zero as planned in the provisional agreement.

Starmer said Monday that the trade agreement is "in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon."

Trump said the deal is "gonna produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income."

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld