Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday played down the fact that he did not hold a formal bilateral meeting with President Trump at the Group of Seven summit in France, insisting the lack of such a session should not be read as a slight.
“I wouldn’t take a big message from that,” Carney told reporters. “I had seven or eight discussions with President Trump over the course of the last 36 hours. I’ll have more today, a wide range of subjects from the economy, relations, his birthday, artificial intelligence, Ukraine, obviously Iran.”
French President Emmanuel Macron was the only G7 leader to secure a one-on-one meeting with Trump at the summit, while the U.S. president held bilateral talks with non-G7 leaders. The absence of a formal meeting between Carney and Trump underscores the frosty state of U.S.-Canada relations, which have deteriorated since early this year. Carney warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January that the old world order was experiencing a “rupture,” and his opposition to Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods has done little to ease tensions.
Despite the chilly atmosphere, Canadian and U.S. trade officials held scheduled talks on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on the sidelines of the G7. Canada’s trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, reported progress as the agreement approaches its July 1 renewal date. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signaled openness to negotiating a renewal, stating at her Monday press conference, “The treaty benefits all three countries. The first treaty had its problems for the United States. This second treaty was signed by President Trump himself.”
Trump, however, threw the future of the trade pact into doubt last week, declaring he was “not looking to renew” the USMCA, which replaced NAFTA during his first term. Unless all three nations agree to extend it for another 16 years, the deal will expire within weeks. If any member refuses to confirm the extension, the agreement will enter a decadelong cycle of annual reviews.
“I don’t know that I’m going to redo it because, to be honest with you, we don’t need anything Canada has, we don’t need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have, and they have to treat us better,” Trump told reporters. He added that the U.S. runs trade deficits with its neighbors and should instead enjoy surpluses. Data from Reuters shows the U.S. had a $46 billion goods trade deficit with Canada and a $197 billion deficit with Mexico in 2025.
Carney’s multiple interactions with Trump at the summit touched on a wide array of issues, including the G7's endorsement of a Trump-brokered Iran ceasefire, which aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The talks also came as Trump faced backlash from other G7 leaders over the Iran deal, with Trump threatening to resume bombing if Tehran misbehaves.
The next round of USMCA negotiations is scheduled for the week of July 20 in Mexico City. The outcome will have significant implications for North American trade and the broader political landscape, as Trump’s tariff policies continue to strain relationships with key allies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
