Canadian Prime Minister Urges Middle-Power Unity Ahead of G7 Summit
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Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Canada, Ireland and the European Union to strengthen cooperation among middle powers as the rules-based international order faces strain, before the G7 meeting in France.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a lecture at Trinity College in Dublin on Saturday to urge "middle powers" such as Canada, Ireland and the European Union to coordinate more closely in response to what he described as a weakening of the post-Cold War rules-based order. He said multilateral institutions have lost strength and that economic integration is being used as a tool of coercion, putting the international trading system at risk.
Carney appealed to European leaders, emphasizing that combined populations and defence budgets give the Canada-EU bloc significant capacity, noting that their joint defence spending exceeds that of China. He suggested that deeper ties with the Trans-Pacific Partnership could create a trading bloc of over 1.5 billion people.
The remarks come as tensions rise between Canada and the United States, where President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed Canada to align more closely with U.S. policies. Both leaders are expected to attend the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, from June 15-17.
Carney’s call for greater collaboration follows his earlier speech at the World Economic Forum, where he proposed a new order among intermediate powers. He has also pursued closer links with Europe, becoming the first non-European participant in the European Political Community summit and joining the EU’s SAFE Instrument loan programme for defence supplies.