NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE – Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand opened a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries Tuesday by calling for continued collaboration to tackle many of the world’s problems.
“Meeting global challenges requires global partnerships,” Anand said.
Anand welcomed G7 foreign ministers to Ontario’s freshly snow-covered Niagara region for a two-day gathering to discuss shared economic and security challenges.
In a world shaken by volatile geopolitics and U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, Anand is making a push for multilateralism as Canada closes out its presidency of the G7.
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“The beauty of the G7 is that it allows multilateralism to do its work,” she said.
The foreign ministers will grapple with ongoing instability around the world and shifts in trade relationships accelerated by Trump’s return to the White House this year.
Foreign ministers from the other G7 states — France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union — will be tackling challenges ranging from Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine to China’s near-monopoly on critical minerals.
Anand also invited foreign ministers from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Ukraine to attend the gathering.
Trump has long expressed skepticism of multilateral co-operation. Citing his America First agenda, he cut funding to the United Nations and withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization.
The president also hit other G7 nations — America’s close allies — with unprecedented tariffs.
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In an interview with The Canadian Press on Monday, Anand did not say whether she will talk to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G7 gathering about bilateral trade negotiations. Trump suspended those negotiations last month after Ontario sponsored a TV ad that featured former American president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
The June G7 leaders summit in Alberta was meant to showcase unity on top global concerns but Trump left the gathering early, saying he had to deal with tensions between Israel and Iran. No joint statement on Ukraine was released from that summit following pushback from Trump’s team.
Fen Osler Hampson, an international affairs professor at Carleton University, said “this meeting is a snapshot of a broader challenge facing democracies.”
“How do you build collective security, collective economic security when your most powerful member sees economic policy primarily through a narrow nationalist lens?” Hampson said.
The G7 still works because it focuses on “narrow, practical co-operation where interests align,” he added.
“Leaders are still meeting. And at the worst of times, perhaps that’s the best you can hope for.”
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It’s not clear if there’s alignment in the G7 on Ukraine, although Anand said leaders would be working to develop a joint statement this week.
Russia and Ukraine have been trading almost daily assaults on each other’s energy infrastructure and U.S.-led diplomatic efforts remain at a standstill.
Rubio has long been a policy hawk on Russia but Trump himself remains inconsistent in his messaging about the war.
Hampson said he will be watching to see whether the G7 issues a strong affirmation of support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity or if Rubio is “going to be reined in by his boss.”
The G7 meeting will also look to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which both Hamas and the Israeli military have accused each other of violating.
Anand said Monday that she and Rubio “agree that President Trump’s work to end the war in Gaza is both welcome and crucial.” She said they also agree Hamas must disarm and have no role in the governance of Palestine, and that humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza are priorities.
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Rubio asked Anand to bring other countries to the table for a future Gaza reconstruction conference, she said. Canadian military personnel are already deployed to Israel to monitor the ceasefire
Another priority for Anand is to discuss Canada’s role in critical minerals and maritime security.
During the March G7 meeting in Quebec, foreign ministers supported a task force to tackle Russia’s shadow fleet of oil-carrying tankers, something for which Canada had lobbied. Hampson said hundreds of shadow fleet vessels have since been sanctioned.
Another key area of discussion will be how G7 nations can collaborate to push back on Chinese dominance of critical minerals and processing.
Trump just negotiated a one-year deal with China to suspend its rare-earth export controls in exchange for lowering tariffs. It’s unclear if Trump’s team will want softer language on China in any joint statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2025.
— With files The Associated Press
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