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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is participating in the second day of the G7 leaders’ summit, which will feature a special appearance by Pope Francis.
The pontiff is slated to deliver an address to leaders Friday about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence.
He is also expected to renew his appeal for a peaceful end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Trudeau met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday morning before meeting with the Pope. He is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later in the day.
Trudeau was in a working session on migration in the morning while leaders will hold a working luncheon on the Indo-Pacific and economic security.
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Migration is a priority for summit host Italy and its right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who’s seeking to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.
Leaders of the G7 countries announced on Thursday that they will deliver a $50 billion US loan to Ukraine using interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets as collateral. Canada, for its part, has promised to pitch in $5 billion toward the loan.
Defence Minister Bill Blair, who is meeting with NATO defence ministers in the Belgian capital of Brussels, said Ukraine has been asking for funding for security and reconstruction and that $50 billion is part of the G7’s response.
“They do require certainty for planning,” he said, “not just for the immediate response to the battlefield, but also the work that they are going to have to do in the coming years to ensure the security and integrity of their sovereign borders and to undertake a strong period of reconstruction.”
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Blair said the Canadian government is donating 900 drones built in Canada to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
On his way into Friday’s NATO meeting, Blair also announced changes to the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia.
“Canada’s increasing our presence in the alliance’s eastern flank where we lead NATO’s multinational battle group in Latvia,” he said.
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“We are working to scale up our multilateral [force] to brigade size,” Blair added. “As well, Canada is sending the HMCS Charlottetown into the Mediterranean where it is going to assume command of the standing NATO group 2.”
Blair’s latest announcement on Friday comes as NATO member countries continue to work to meet the group’s agreed-upon target of spending two per cent of GDP on their respective militaries.
According to NATO data, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33 per cent of its GDP on its military budget.
Source: cbc
