Manitoba agrees to support reconstruction in area of war-torn Ukraine
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The Manitoba government has signed an agreement with an area of Ukraine to support reconstruction efforts.
Premier Wab Kinew made the announcement in Calgary following the G7 leaders' summit in nearby Kananaskis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been scheduled to meet with Kinew but left early.
Zelenskyy told the G7 that overnight Russian attacks killed 15 and injured more than 150 in Ukraine and he called for support from allies.
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Kinew signed a memorandum of understanding to support the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces.
The premier says the partnership reflects Manitoba's unwavering support for Ukraine, as the province has welcomed more than 30,000 Ukrainians since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
'Our province is home to a vibrant Ukrainian community that has contributed immensely to our cultural and economic fabric,' Kinew said in a statement Tuesday.
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'Through this MOU, we are deepening our ties and standing in solidarity with Kherson. We are committed to helping Ukraine rebuild during the war and as a free country after.'
The agreement calls for collaboration in areas including agriculture, economic development, education and health care.
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The Province
an hour ago
- The Province
G7 leaders vow to tackle migrant smuggling and foreign interference
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney during the G7 Leaders' summit on June 17, 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Canada is hosting this year's meeting of the world's seven largest economies. Photo by Pool / Getty Images BANFF, ALTA. — The leaders of the world's seven wealthiest democracies ended their annual summit Tuesday with promises to tackle six pressing policy issues, including artificial intelligence, transnational repression and migrant smuggling. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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 As the two-day summit in Kananaskis, Alta., came to a close, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the U.S. and the U.K. issued six joint statements tackling wildfires, quantum and critical minerals as well as the three aforementioned issues. Absent from the list was a joint statement from all leaders on the war in Ukraine, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's attendance at the summit Tuesday. Among the most comprehensive was the statement on artificial intelligence in which countries committed to developing an 'AI adoption roadmap'. 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The countries also adopted the 'Kananaskis Wildfire Charter', noting the record-breaking wildfires that have burned across every forested continent in recent years. The charter promises to increase global cooperation when it comes to preventing, fighting and recovering from wildfires worldwide. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2024, more than 1,300 migrants crossed illegally into Canada and subsequently made refugee claims, according to Canadian government statistics, and even legal immigration has become controversial, given rapid increases in the growth of the Canadian population. In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the leaders of the G7 nations agreed to 'enhance border management and enforcement and dismantle the transnational organized crime groups profiting from both migrant smuggling and human trafficking.' The leaders said that it is in the national interest of the respective nations to counter human smuggling and human trafficking. The leaders said that migrant smuggling is often linked to money laundering, trafficking in persons and drugs, and other serious crimes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It can expose vulnerable smuggled persons to grave and life-threatening risks,' the leaders said. In 2024, the G7 adopted an action plan on migrant smuggling, and with Tuesday's statement says the leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the plan. The leaders vowed to use a 'follow the money' strategy of using financial intelligence to identify criminals, hold them accountable and seize their assets and profits. They also pledged to increase strengthen border management and work with social media companies to prevent advertising and co-ordination of migrant smuggling via online platforms. 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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Mark Carney and world leaders unable to convince Donald Trump to sign joint G7 declaration of support for Ukraine
KANANASKIS, Alta. — The G7 group of world leaders emerged from its Canadian summit without a joint statement against Russia, showing that achieving unity is a lot harder than it looks. Prime Minister Mark Carney and other world leaders around the table could not persuade U.S. President Donald Trump, before he left for Washington, to sign on to a joint declaration of support for Ukraine that contained 'strong language' that Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan and the European Union all wanted to exert pressure on Russia, according to a Canadian official who briefed reporters Tuesday afternoon before Carney addressed a closing news conference. However Carney later downplayed the absence of a joint G7 declaration on Ukraine, and denied there was any split or disagreement in the G7 ranks. He suggested that the leaders simply agreed that, before Trump took off, the more urgent priority to agree upon was a joint declaration on Iran, and there were no insurmountable differences. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Leaders of the G7 nations gather for a photo in Kananaskis, Alta., joined by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. U.S. President Donald Trump left the summit the day before to deal with the war between Iran and Israel. (June 17, 2025 / The Canadian Press) That didn't align with information provided earlier to Canadian reporters during a background briefing with a senior government official who said the American side wanted to 'water down' a Ukraine declaration because it would impede U.S. ability to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. The official briefed reporters on condition they not be identified in order to discuss the dynamic behind closed doors, and was only authorized to provide limited details. Late Tuesday, after Carney spoke, the PMO sought to clarify the record. PMO spokesperson Emily Williams in a statement to reporters said that Canada had not proposed a joint G7 document as such, only a 'chair's summary' to other delegations. 'No proposed joint statement regarding Ukraine was distributed. Canada's intention was always for the important language to be a part of the G7 Chairs' Summary Statement, and it was.' Another G7 source said the fault lines on any Ukraine statement were clear as early as last Friday. However Carney, visibly relaxed if not relieved following what he described as a successful summit, said 'I was in the room' and described a successful two days of meetings that produced six other joint statements supported by the G7 leaders and others. On Ukraine, he pointed to a 'chair's summary' that hadn't by then been published which included a single paragraph on Ukraine that Carney insisted represented G7 unity, reading out from it to dispute media questions on 'the minutiae' of the Ukraine discussion. 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'It is in the strategic American interest to continue this discussion with us and to do it as we discussed this morning: sanctions, military support for Ukraine to lead Russia to return to the table — which is, by the way, what President Trump has been asking for since February — a ceasefire, and negotiations for a lasting peace.' How they reach that goal is where they differ. Many G7 leaders want more muscular sanctions on Russia and more military equipment sent into Ukraine. Canada announced new measures Tuesday on those fronts, as did Britain. Both increased sanctions on individuals and entities, and targeted Russia's 'shadow fleet' of ships used to evade sanctions. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's sanctions package took aim at 30 targets across Russia's financial, military and energy sectors, and targets 20 of his oil tankers, as well as the companies responsible for crewing and managing the vessels, according to a U.K. news release. 'These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin's war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine,' said Starmer. 'We know that our sanctions are hitting hard, so while Putin shows total disregard for peace, we will not hesitate to keep tightening the screws.' Zelenskyy met Carney in a bilateral meeting Tuesday after a devastating night where Russia rained down missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The Ukrainian leader called it a 'big tragedy,' one of the biggest attacks since the beginning of the war, with 440 drones from Russia, and 32 missiles, including ballistic missiles, saying at that point he understood 138 people were injured and 12 killed in the attack. Carney, standing next to Zelenskyy, condemned 'in the strongest terms, the latest outrage — barbarism from Russia,' adding it 'underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian people,' and 'the importance of using maximum pressure against Russia, who has refused to come to the table.' Canada will provide additional drones, helicopters and broader munitions, 'over $2 billion worth of assistance directly to Ukraine,' said Carney. And Ottawa is dispersing the next tranche of the loan based on the frozen Russian assets, $2.3 billion to help rebuild its infrastructure and public systems., he added. Zelenskyy, dressed in black, welcomed the aid. 'We need support from our allies,' he said, 'until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations. We are ready for ... the unconditional ceasefire.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW As he wound up the summit, Carney struck a confidently cocky note, joking about the number of questions, quipping whether Trump had pegged the $71 billion tag for Canada to get in on the 'Golden Dome' in Canadian or U.S. dollars, wisecracking about a G7 where 'there are only, oddly, nine people in the room, because of the two extra Europe — not extra Europeans — right amount of Europeans.' He said the summit's direct dialogue and 'strategic exchanges' were invaluable and while leaders disagreed on 'a number of issues' it came from an 'effort to find common solutions to some of these problems.' Yet Carney was careful and guarded when he defended his controversial decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as an important world leader with whom Canada had to re-engage on law enforcement issues, trade and immigration issues. But Carney refused to answer directly about whether he raised the 'murder' case of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's alleged shooting death at the direction of Indian government agents. At the end, the G7 issued a number of other joint G7 statements which the U.S. to. They pledged co-operation and action to harness the power of artificial intelligence and quantum computing, to ramp up efforts including working with social media platforms and possible sanctions to counter migrant smuggling. The G7 leaders condemned transnational repression, vowing to create a new digital detection 'academy' to support potential targets. They agreed to address wildfires through mitigation and adaptation, construction of resilient infrastructure, to share data. Two other statements were issued on a new a critical minerals action plan, which was also endorsed by Australia, India and South Korea, and a Kananaskis Wildfires Charter endorsed by Australia, India, Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! 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Canada Standard
an hour ago
- Canada Standard
PM Modi emphasises Global South unity at G7 Summit
Kananaskis [Canada], June 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided updates on a series of high-level meetings held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, highlighting India's efforts to strengthen global partnerships and champion the cause of the Global South. He began by sharing on his official X handle about a 'fruitful discussion' with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. This was followed by a 'productive conversation' with Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, underscoring India's active engagement with key European leaders. Building on these interactions, PM Modi emphasised solidarity with the Global South after meetings with leaders from Brazil and South Africa. He described 'outstanding conversations' with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, reaffirming their shared commitment to addressing issues vital to the Global South and working towards a better future for coming generations. Reflecting this sentiment, President Lula of Brazil tweeted, 'The Global South is present at the G7. Meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa and Narendra Modi,' highlighting the united voice of Global South leaders at the summit. Alongside these engagements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held insightful deliberations with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada. Sharing details of the meeting, Prime Minister Modi posted on his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), 'Insightful deliberations with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during the G7 Summit in Canada. India and Japan remain committed to further deepening bilateral ties across various sectors.' This meeting was part of a broader diplomatic effort by Prime Minister Modi, who engaged in a flurry of high-level bilateral meetings with leaders from Mexico, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, France, and Canada on the sidelines of the 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis, reaffirming India's commitment to strengthening global partnerships. Kicking off his bilateral engagements, Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, posted on X, 'PM @narendramodi met President Mr. Lee Jae-Myung @Jaemyung_Lee of Republic of Korea on the sidelines of the 51st #G7Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.' The meeting saw both sides reaffirm their commitment to deepening the India-Republic of Korea Special Strategic Partnership by exploring cooperation in trade and economy, critical and emerging technologies, green hydrogen, shipbuilding, culture, and people-to-people ties. Regional and global issues were also discussed.' Further strengthening ties in the Latin American region, Jaiswal stated in another post, 'Boosting India-Mexico warm & historical ties. PM @narendramodi met President Dr. @Claudiashein of Mexico, on the sidelines of 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. This was the first meeting between the two leaders. Both sides discussed avenues to further deepen cooperation in trade, pharmaceuticals, S&T, digital innovation and shared perspectives on key global & regional issues, including priorities of the Global South.' Expanding on the meeting, Prime Minister Modi said, 'I had a very good meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. I personally congratulated her on her historic electoral victory, becoming the first female President of Mexico in two centuries. We both see immense potential for further strengthening ties between India and Mexico in the future, especially in sectors such as agriculture, semiconductors, critical minerals, healthcare, among others. We also discussed ways to strengthen the ties between our peoples.' PM Modi also extended an invitation to President Sheinbaum to visit India. He congratulated President of Mexico on her historic victory and thanked President Sheinbaum for the support extended by Mexico in India's fight against terrorism. Continuing his diplomatic engagements at the summit, Prime Minister Modi also interacted with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia. In a post on X, PM Modi said, 'Good to meet my friend, PM Albanese of Australia during the G7 Summit in Canada! @AlboMP' Highlighting India's engagement with the host nation, Jaiswal shared, 'Building bridges for global progress and cooperation. PM @MarkJCarney of Canada welcomed PM @narendramodi at the #G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.' Adding to the series of key bilateral meetings, Prime Minister Modi also met with President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. In a social media post, PM Modi wrote, 'Happy to interact with the President of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa at the G7 Summit. @CyrilRamaphosa' PM Modi also held a pull-aside meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Canada on Tuesday to attend the G7 Summit. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney received PM Modi as he arrived at the summit venue in Kananaskis, Alberta. This marks his sixth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit and his first visit to Canada in a decade. PM Modi received a ceremonial welcome at the Calgary airport, where India's acting high commissioner, Chinmoy Naik, was among those who received him. Setting the tone for his engagements, PM Modi, upon arriving in Calgary, said on Monday (local time) that he would meet various leaders at the G7 Summit and share his thoughts on important global issues. PM Modi added that he would also emphasise the priorities of the Global South during the summit. This visit is part of his three-nation official tour, which began with Cyprus and will conclude with Croatia. In a post on X, PM Modi stated, 'Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South.' The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union (EU). This marks PM Modi's sixth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit. (ANI)
