Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will depart Thursday for a two‑nation swing in Ireland and France ahead of the G7 summit in Evian‑les‑Bains (June 15‑17). the itinerary is designed to shore up bilateral relations, especially with Ireland’s growing economy , while positioning Canada to manage an unpredictable U.S. president at the summit.

Paris talks focus on defence, AI and critical minerals with President Macron

In Paris, Carney is slated to meet French President Emmanuel Macron to deepen cooperation on defence, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and critical minerals. both leaders see the partnership as a way to lessen reliance on the United States and to spur innovation‑driven growth, according to the French government’s agenda for the summit .

The meeting follows a broader G7 push to redefine global governance rules, protect children online and combat crime, but analysts say the real agenda will be how the G6 (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy) will coordinate without Trump.

Dublin visit marks first Canadian prime‑ministerial trip in a decade, eyes $6 billion trade

Carney’s stop in Dublin is the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister to Ireland in nearly ten years. He will sit down with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly to discuss cultural links and a bilateral trade relationship that reached $6 billion in 2025.

Canada exported $1.1 billion worth of goods , mainly cereals, while importing $4.9 billion of Irish pharmaceuticals. The trade flows are governed by the Canada‑EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which remains provisionally applied but not fully ratified by several EU members, including Ireland. martin has pledged to accelerate ratification, aiming for full implementation by 2026, as reported by The Irish Times.

Analysts warn G7 will hold back‑channel talks to curb Trump’s “irascible” style

Fen Osler Hampson, a Carleton University professor of international affairs, notes that the remaining G6 leaders are likely to conduct informal sessions without President Donald Trump to devise strategies for dealing with his disruptive behaviour. Hampson says the unofficial priorities will include the Middle East conflict, energy security and lingering U.S. tariffs that have strained transatlantic ties.

These back‑channel discussions echo the 2023 Kananaskis summit, where Trump left early amid Middle East tensions, underscoring the G7’s need to manage U.S. volatility while pursuing collective goals.

Unresolved questions: Irish ratification timeline and U.S. tariff relief

Two key uncertainties remain: whether Ireland will meet its 2026 CETA ratification target and how the G7 will address persistent U.S. tariffs that hurt Canadian exporters. The source does not provide a definitive timeline for Irish legislation, and no official U.S. position on tariff reductions has been announced.

Furthermore, the summit’s official agenda lists broad themes, but the extent to which they will translate into concrete policy outcomes remains unclear.