Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to Europe on Thursday, visiting Ireland and France for the G7 summit.
The summit is running from June 15 to June 17 in Evian-les-Bains and France says the main focus will probably be on reducing global inequalities.
The summit was delayed by a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the White House would host a UFC fight on June 14, which is Flag Day in the USA and Trump’s eightieth birthday.
Fen Osler Hampson, a global affairs professor at Carleton University, told The Canadian Press the leaders may have to deal with “managing Trump” on the summit.
“The actual discussions will probably be among the many remaining G6 leaders when Trump isn’t within the room, when it comes to the way you cope with a president who’s irascible, unpredictable and making life difficult for everybody,” he said, noting that the president has personally insulted several European leaders.
The federal government of France says priorities on the summit will include settling major geopolitical crises, including through G7 support to Ukraine, online protection for youngsters, crime and “the brand new rules of play of world governance.”
Nonetheless, Hampson said the official agenda generally doesn’t reflect what the important thing issues of debate will probably be. He said those are more likely to include conflict within the Middle East, energy security and U.S. tariffs.
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Canada hosted the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last yr. Trump left a day early because of the conflict within the Middle East.
The G7 includes Canada, France, the USA, Germany, Japan, the UK and Italy. The European Union also participates in talks, though the bloc isn’t counted within the group’s name.
Before the summit, Carney is making stops in Paris and Dublin, Ireland.
A news release from the Prime Minister’s Office says Carney and Macron will discuss deepening ties in sectors corresponding to defence, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and significant minerals.
Ireland, which has turn into a significant centre for foreign investment and businesses, is ready to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July.
The PMO notes Carney’s visit will probably be the primary official trip for a Canadian prime minister to Ireland in nearly a decade. Carney will meet with the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin and Irish President Catherine Connolly as a part of talks to deepen cultural and trade ties between the nations.
Carney met with 150 Irish business leaders in Ottawa last month. The embassy said on social media that the discussion focused on economic opportunities for the countries, innovation, investment and growth across sectors.
Bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Ireland reached $6 billion in 2025. Canadian exports of $1.1 billion to Ireland were led by cereals and imports of $4.9 billion were led pharmaceutical products.
Trade between the countries is underpinned by the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, referred to as CETA, which has been provisionally applied but has not yet been ratified by several states, including Ireland.
Martin met with Carney in Ottawa in September. On the time, he said Ireland can be ratifying the CETA deal. A joint statement from the leaders said they agreed on the importance of Ireland’s full ratification of the agreement by 2026.
The Irish Times reported late last month that the Irish government was set to approve latest laws to speed up ratification of the trade deal to scale back the country’s reliance on the USA.
There are an estimated 4.5 million Canadians which have Irish ancestry, representing almost 15 per cent of the country’s population.
Carney also has deep ties to Ireland, along with his grandparents immigrating from County Mayo within the early Twenties.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2026.
— with files from Craig Lord
© 2026 The Canadian Press