Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, is earning praise from world leaders and foreign policy experts, who credit him with deftly managing a summit marked by global instability and unpredictable diplomacy.
Fen Osler Hampson, an international affairs expert at Carleton University, described Carney as guiding the G7 “through the diplomatic Rockies,” navigating shifting geopolitical pressures while avoiding “avalanches and treacherous cliffs.” The summit took place amid surging violence between Israel and Iran, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to leave a day early.
Despite Trump’s abrupt exit, Carney successfully led the G7 in issuing a unified statement affirming Israel’s right to defend itself and asserting that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Hampson noted Carney’s “pragmatic” and “quite deft” handling of that statement, adding, “He was able to keep Trump on board.”
Carney held bilateral talks with multiple leaders during the summit, including Trump, who agreed to pursue a new Canada–U.S. economic and security partnership deal by mid-July. Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly backed Carney’s approach, calling Trump “a different type of cat” and applauding the prime minister for holding his ground. “I’m going to back the prime minister 100 per cent,” Ford said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will host the next G7 summit, also commended Carney’s leadership. “He held the group together. He did it with his characteristic elegance and determination,” Macron told reporters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed that sentiment on social media, calling his meeting with Carney “excellent” and congratulating Canada for “successfully” hosting the summit. The two leaders agreed to restore full diplomatic relations, including appointing new high commissioners—a significant step after last year’s fallout over allegations that Indian government agents were linked to targeted operations on Canadian soil.
Carney also used the summit to announce $4.3 billion in new support for Ukraine, including $2 billion in military aid and a $2.3-billion loan for reconstruction—positioning Canada as one of Ukraine’s leading G7 backers. “He’s showing diplomatic agility, a results-driven approach,” Hampson said.
While Carney faced criticism from some groups for inviting leaders like Modi—over 100 Sikh Canadians protested in Calgary during the summit—experts say the decision reflected strategic realism. “It would be odd not to have the world’s fifth-largest economy at that meeting,” Hampson added.
Srdjan Vucetic, a professor at the University of Ottawa, said any backlash over summit invitations is likely to be muted, and Carney’s pragmatic approach is winning him credibility early in his premiership. “He did great,” Vucetic said. “He showed he’s savvy—especially when he had to interrupt Trump to move the discussion along.”
As his first major test on the global stage, the G7 summit appears to have solidified Carney’s image as a calm, competent leader navigating a volatile geopolitical landscape with diplomacy and determination.