What are the stakes for Canada as it hosts the G7 leaders’ summit?

Canada is set to host leaders from the world's largest economies for the annual  G7 summit beginning Sunday, and the stakes could not be higher.

Canada is set to host leaders from the world’s largest economies for the annual  G7 summit beginning Sunday, and the stakes could not be higher.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s multi-front trade war has countries scrambling to get their tariffs lowered. Ceasefires have failed to stick in Gaza and Ukraine. Allies are collectively focused on boosting their defences to counter China, Russia and other threat actors. And the rise of artificial intelligence has opened up opportunities and risks on multiple fronts.

For Prime Minister Mark Carney, it will mark his most high-profile stage yet as he seeks to both normalize relations with Trump and reposition Canada as an important ally.

Here’s what to expect over the course of the summit.

The last time Canada hosted the G7 leader’s summit was in 2018, and it quickly saw tensions flare.

Trump’s clashes with then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders over trade led to the U.S. not endorsing the official G7 communique, and France’s foreign minister dubbed the summit the “G6 plus one.”

A repeat of that spectacle would be a “nightmare scenario” for both Canada and the alliance, Allen Sens, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said in an email.

Since returning to office this year, Trump has only doubled down on actions that fuelled the discord at that earlier summit: imposing sweeping tariffs on allies, reversing or reducing climate change action, and reopening dialogue with Russia.