logo
Braid: Testy G7 summit in Kananaskis stopped short of blowup — and made Alberta look gorgeous

Braid: Testy G7 summit in Kananaskis stopped short of blowup — and made Alberta look gorgeous

Ottawa Citizen15 hours ago

Article content
The weather held, the smoke retreated, and the gigantic boost for Alberta's image proceeded disaster-free.
Article content
Even U.S. President Donald Trump co-operated, fleeing the G7 summit a day early without quite blowing it up.
Article content
Article content
The beautiful images of Kananaskis raced around the world. The exposure was far from free (cost estimates range up to $1 billion) but it sure was good for this province.
Article content
Article content
World leaders were impressed.
Article content
Article content
'Not bad,' U.K Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in that uniquely British way.
Article content
'It's so beautiful,' remarked Trump, who nonetheless declined to annex Canada.
Article content
That's the best we could expect. The French do not believe other countries are civilized.
Article content
Many Albertans surely felt a surge of pride. Kananaskis is uniquely beautiful, even to Europeans who are not short of Alps.
Article content
There's a message here for our beloved separatists. If Alberta were an independent state, such an event would never be held here.
Article content
The G7 is federally hosted. The Liberal government decided to bring it to Alberta.
Article content
The independent Republic of Alberta, should it ever exist, would be lucky to attract Albania and Liechtenstein to a conference of national leaders.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Prime Minister Mark Carney handled his hosting role skillfully. He also caught a lucky break with Trump's abrupt departure to deal with the Israel-Iran crisis.
Article content
Two days of pure Trump could not possibly have passed without trouble. He came close in just one day, getting into it with with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Article content
On his way back to Washington, Trump said Macron was 'publicity seeking,' quite the insult from a planetary-scale publicity seeker.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

John Tory's eyeing a return to city hall + Internal data shows wide gaps in pregnancy rates at fertility clinics
John Tory's eyeing a return to city hall + Internal data shows wide gaps in pregnancy rates at fertility clinics

Toronto Star

time41 minutes ago

  • Toronto Star

John Tory's eyeing a return to city hall + Internal data shows wide gaps in pregnancy rates at fertility clinics

Good morning. This is the Wednesday, June 18 edition of First Up, the Star's daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox. It looks like we're in for an extra-hot start to summer in Toronto. Here's what you need to know. And here's the latest on John Tory's potential return to city hall, what data reveals about Ontario fertility clinics, and why a Toronto man is stranded in Iran. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW DON'T MISS John Tory is weighing a city hall comeback Insiders say Tory is eyeing a 2026 mayoral run. Here's what we know. Edward Keenan: Could we see Olivia Chow vs. John Tory in next year's Toronto mayoral race? Here's what it might look like Mayor John Tory steps down from office after admitting he had relationship with staffer Internal data reveals stark contrasts in pregnancy rates at fertility clinics Here's what the data — which patients don't have access to — reveals about clinics' success rates. Disturbing errors at Ontario fertility clinics destroy couples' baby dreams years after province abandoned oversight plans This Toronto man is stranded in Iran Hossein Khodabakhsh travelled to Tehran to visit his sick mother. Now he's stuck. The Latest: Israel strikes Tehran for a sixth day as Iranian casualties rise WHAT ELSE French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Tuesday. LUDOVIC MARIN AFP via Getty Images World leaders were unable to convince Donald Trump to sign a joint G7 declaration of support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take questions from international journalists. Donald Trump said Canada will get a 'much better deal' if it becomes the 51st American state. David Olive: National unity is at stake in the war of wills between Carney's energy dreams and Smith's pipeline populism. This formerly homeless man is teaching kids how to heal from trauma — with improv. The cop who assaulted Brampton teen Chadd Facey is set to be sentenced today. A gang of 'stupid criminals' allegedly tried to steal a car from Doug Ford's driveway. Meanwhile, Ford voiced support for a man who allegedly shot a gun to ward off attempted carjackers. Eglinton Crosstown LRT train operations have been transferred to TTC. Here's what comes next. A real estate investment firm bought an aging, 'luxury' apartment building in midtown. Here's what happened next. Wine sales at the LCBO fell as U.S. imports to Canada plunged 94 per cent. Shellene Drakes-Tull: Here's why that crass sticker on your bumper can snowball into something darker. POV The Blue Jays were maligned for sending Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks. Two years later, both teams are happy with the trade. CLOSE UP Members of the Florida Panthers celebrate their victory over the Edmonton Oilers with a final score of 5-1 at Amerant Bank Arena Tuesday. Mike Carlson Getty Images SUNRISE: The Florida Panthers celebrate their second straight Stanley Cup victory. The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final last night. Here's Bruce Arthur's take on another loss for a Canadian team. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@ I will see you back here tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

Varcoe: G7 leaders wrap up Kananaskis summit touting energy security and critical minerals
Varcoe: G7 leaders wrap up Kananaskis summit touting energy security and critical minerals

Calgary Herald

timean hour ago

  • Calgary Herald

Varcoe: G7 leaders wrap up Kananaskis summit touting energy security and critical minerals

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during his closing G7 press conference in Kananaskis on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia The day after Donald Trump left Kananaskis, the rest of the G7 leaders got back to work — tackling tricky issues surrounding artificial intelligence, energy security and escalating military conflicts. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors With missiles flying between Iran and Israel, geopolitics reverberated throughout the final day of the G7 summit in Alberta. No one said this meeting was going to be easy, although it may have become a little simpler without the unpredictable U.S. president in the room Tuesday. Or maybe not, after a separate joint statement on the war in Ukraine didn't materialize. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again The summit, held under tight security at the site an hour west of Calgary, ended with the members signing joint statements on an array of significant topics. These included the responsible development of quantum computing technologies, countering migrant smuggling and an agreement to jointly prevent and combat wildfires. A discussion about critical minerals and energy security — taking place in the heartlands of Canada's oilpatch, as global oil prices jumped amid the escalating Iran-Israeli clash — seemed particularly relevant, given the complexities confronting the world today. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the Tuesday afternoon session about energy security and critical minerals the most important session of the conference, as it included leaders of several non-G7 countries, such as Brazil, South Africa and India. 'We have a very important agenda together,' Carney told the group before the talks on energy security began. 'But it's a sign of the maturity, I think, of the G7 that we come together for common problems — common problems in energy security, common opportunities in new technologies.' The G7 group includes Canada, the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan. It didn't release a final communique, opting instead for shorter issue-based statements. 'He (Carney) succeeded in maintaining unity,' French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters, said in French. 'We couldn't expect the Canadian presidency to solve all issues during this summit, that would be unfair. But he held the group together with the elegance and determination that characterize him.' An expected joint statement on the war in Ukraine was not released, although Russia's invasion of the country was addressed in Carney's final summary as the meeting's host. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Even after Trump left the summit early Monday night after one day of formal meetings — due, he said, to the air strikes between Iran and Israel — his presence lingered over the three-day gathering. After the president and Carney sat down Monday, Canada announced it was looking to secure a new economic and security agreement with the U.S. within the next 30 days. 'They're productive discussions, but they have more to go,' the prime minister told reporters late Tuesday in Kananaskis. 'Quite often in deadlines, in negotiations, having a form of deadline is helpful to concentrate the mind.' A deal would provide some certainty to consumers and business operators trying to navigate a trade war, although it's unclear what will happen next. 'Canadian businesses want us to get back to business (and) trade as usual,' said Adam Legge, head of the Business Council of Alberta. 'We're skeptical it will happen in 30 days,' he added, pointing to previous pauses and delays in the U.S. tariff action. On Tuesday morning, Carney met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canada announced it was imposing further sanctions against Russia, targeting its 'shadow fleet and energy revenues.' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (R) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. Photo by SUZANNE PLUNKETT / POOL/AFP via Getty Images In the group's joint statement on critical minerals, the G7 said it recognizes they're the essential 'building blocks of digital and energy secure economies of the future.' Critical minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, are needed in the energy transition, for electrification and battery storage technologies, and in defence applications. Carney said the G7 and its partners will create a critical minerals production alliance, to stockpile and develop materials needed for defense and technology, such as germanium, gallium, graphite and rare earth elements. The dominance by China, Russia and a handful of other countries of key critical mineral production has become a growing concern for G7 nations. Canada has many of these natural resources, although raising the capital and getting potential mining and processing projects through regulatory processes takes years. 'It's become very clear there has to be some diversification of supply chains away from China' on critical minerals, Jackie Forrest, executive director of ARC Energy Research Institute, said Tuesday. Carney also reiterated his plan for Canada to become an energy superpower in clean and conventional energy forms, including exporting liquefied natural gas. 'There have been a number of discussions, including here, about potential LNG partnerships,' he said after the summit ended. The discussions about energy security also took place as concerns about a possible war in the Middle East have rattled oil markets this week. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped $3.02 to close at US$73.27 a barrel on Tuesday. Iran is one of the largest OPEC producers, exporting more than 1.5 million barrels per day. 'For oil markets, it is concerned about whether the Iran-Israel conflict will lead to the closure of the Straits of Hormuz. There is no evidence of this yet, despite rising maritime threat levels,' Amrita Sen, research director of London-based consultancy Energy Aspects, said in an email. 'Unless Iran rapidly capitulates, Trump seems ready to authorize offensive military strikes. His goal is still to reach a deal that ends the conflict, but this approach opens the door for further escalation if Iran refuses.' The conflict in the Middle East undoubtedly changed the nature of the G7 discussions, but the summit did strive to address many pressing issues facing its members today. 'It comes at a pretty intense time geopolitically,' said Legge. 'In many ways, it underscores the importance of the G7.' Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, warns against U.S. involvement
Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, warns against U.S. involvement

Global News

timean hour ago

  • Global News

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, warns against U.S. involvement

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage' to them, in an official statement read by a state TV anchor. The remarks from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has only been seen once since the strikes began, came after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, 'at least not for now.' Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire. The U.S. has also sent more warplanes to the region. An Iranian official had earlier warned Wednesday that U.S. intervention would risk 'all-out war.' Story continues below advertisement Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The U.S. has threatened a massive response to any attack. Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump's demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program. Strikes in and around Tehran The latest Israeli strikes hit a facility used to make uranium centrifuges and another that made missile components, the Israeli military said. It said it had intercepted 10 missiles overnight as Iran's retaliatory barrages diminish. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Israel had struck two centrifuge production facilities in and near Tehran. The Israeli military said it also carried out strikes in western Iran, hitting missile storage sites and a loaded missile launcher. 2:23 Israel, Iran trade war crime accusations as violence rages Israeli strikes have hit several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Story continues below advertisement Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 24 people in Israel and wounded hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage, and air raid sirens have repeatedly forced Israelis to run for shelter. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Iran has fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It has not explained the decline, but Israel has targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles. Casualties mount in Iran The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel. The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in Iran. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded. Story continues below advertisement Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught. A major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. in Tehran Wednesday morning, following other explosions earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrikes have intensified. At least one strike appeared to target Tehran's eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy. No signs of backing down Israel says it launched the strikes to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after talks between the United States and Iran over a diplomatic resolution had made little visible progress over two months but were still ongoing. Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Story continues below advertisement Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. U.S. intelligence agencies have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons but has never publicly acknowledged them. 2:02 Iran's state TV shows burned-out HQ following Israeli strikes Iran's ambassador to Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told reporters that Iran 'will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes.' He rejected any talk of a setback to Iran's nuclear research and development from the Israeli strikes, saying, 'Our scientists will continue their work.' He said Trump's remarks were 'completely unwarranted' and 'very hostile,' and that Iran could not ignore them. He said Iranian authorities were 'vigilant' about the comments and would decide if the U.S. crossed any lines. 'Once the red line is crossed, the response will come.' Story continues below advertisement Israel welcomes first repatriation flights Israelis began returning on flights for the first time since the country's international airport shut down at the start of the conflict. Two flights from Larnaca, Cyprus, landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday morning, said Lisa Dvir, an airport spokesperson. Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights because of the ballistic missile attacks, leaving tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad. The conflict has disrupted flight patterns across the region. —Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Iran, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva, contributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store