Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Group of Seven countries have agreed to a joint communique at the conclusion of the alliance’s leaders’ summit in Quebec.
Speaking at his closing news conference, Trudeau says the G7 has agreed to an “ambitious” communique — but he did not immediately release a document or provide details of where the exclusive club of wealthy democracies found common ground.
Heading into the leaders’ summit in La Malbaie, Que., there were deep concerns the G7 alliance was fast becoming a G6 plus one because of a widening gulf between the U.S. and the rest of the group in key areas such as climate and trade.
Trudeau says five of the G7 countries agreed to a plastics charter to further protect the environment and oceans.
U.S. President Donald Trump angered his G7 allies last week by slapping them with hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum — a move that prompted Canada and the European Union to threaten duties of their own.
Trump also raised eyebrows by urging the G7 to once again become a G8 by bringing Russia back into the fold and for criticizing his allies, including Canada, for what he called unfair trade barriers.
READ MORE: Trump gives relationship with G7 countries 10 out of 10
Trudeau said the communique has “strong commitments about the actions we are going to take.”
“If the expectation was that a weekend in beautiful Charlevoix….was going to transform the president’s outlook on trade and the world, then we didn’t quite reach that bar,” Trudeau said.
But Trudeau pointed to firm commitments from some members of the G7 to promote cleaner oceans and fund better access to education for girls in poor countries.
The Canadian Press
