Prime Minister Carney secures new partnerships in defence and critical minerals at the 2026 G7 Leaders' Summit

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Prime Minister's Office

Jun 17, 2026, 11:04 ET

ÉVIAN, France, June 17, 2026 /CNW/ - As our institutions and alliances are tested in an increasingly volatile world, the G7 remains a force for unity, purpose, and collective action. Over the past year, Canada has worked with speed and ambition to broaden, deepen, and diversify our international partnerships to build a more resilient, more secure, and more prosperous world for all. During Canada's G7 Presidency last year, we made progress on this front – focusing on energy, critical minerals, technology, and security.

Building on that momentum, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, attended the 2026 G7 Leaders' Summit in Évian, France, this week. At the Summit, he worked with leaders to strengthen collective security and secure critical mineral supply chains. To that end, Canada and our G7 partners committed to collective action on a number of issues, outlined in the following joint statements:

To increase pressure on Russia in the face of its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Prime Minister announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions targeting Russia's shadow fleet, energy revenues, defence industrial, and disinformation actors. This package will target a total of 162 individuals, entities, and vessels – all parts of the Russian war machine. Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,400 individuals and entities as well as over 600 vessels that are complicit in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and in gross and systematic human rights violations.

In Évian, Canada welcomed 13 new partnerships and initiatives with more than eight countries through the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance. Launched during Canada's 2025 G7 Presidency, the Alliance brings together trusted partners to diversify critical minerals supply, reduce market concentration, and create a reliable buyers' club that can attract investment and accelerate production for projects. Together, these projects and initiatives will unlock more than $5 billion in capital investment for projects across the Canadian critical minerals value chain, including:

  • German company RCT Solutions will partner with Canada's Sio Silica and other partners to support a high-purity silica project to extract 99.9%+ pure silica sand and build a fully integrated solar manufacturing hub in Manitoba.
  • Japanese company Hanwa Co. Ltd. will partner with Canada's KAP Minerals to boost the development of phosphate and rare earths in Ontario.
  • Italian company Eni is investing in Canadian-based Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie Mine to produce graphite in Québec.
  • Denmark's Export Credit Agency and Italian companies SACE, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, and SIMEST – including Italian engineering group MAIRE – will support Canada's First Phosphate in relation to a new phosphate mine and phosphoric acid processing production facility in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec.
  • Dutch company Liminal By WMC will partner with U.S. company Regeneration Enterprises Inc. on critical minerals recovery and restoration projects in New Brunswick, British Columbia, and the Yukon.
  • French company Schneider Electric will partner with Canada's Torngat Metals to advance rare earths mining and processing in Québec.
  • Japanese company Sumitomo Corporation will partner with Canada's Ucore Rare Metals Inc. to supply rare earths for magnet makers across Japan and North America.
  • Portuguese company Lifthium Energy will partner with Canada's NORAM Electrolysis Systems Inc. (NESI) to provide Canadian technology services for lithium refining in Portugal.

At the Summit, Prime Minister Carney held bilateral meetings with G7 leaders and other partners, including Germany, India, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union (EU). During these meetings, he forged new partnerships in critical minerals and defence. France, Germany, Italy, and Korea intend to partner with Canada to stockpile critical minerals, which will catalyse further energy partnerships.

Canada announced the first procurement secured through the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative since becoming its first non-European member in February. Under the agreement, Montréal-based Marconi Technologies will build made-in-Canada ORION tactical radios for the Polish Cyber Command. Canadian workers will help build the advanced gear to protect our allies, with deliveries expected to begin later this year and continue through to 2030. Marconi will leverage nearly 100 Canadian suppliers – from the skilled trades to advanced engineering – to help build this state-of-the-art product.

Canada and Italy also announced the launch of negotiations for Canada's purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft designed and produced by Leonardo, one of Italy's largest aerospace companies. Leveraging Italian expertise in aerospace and defence, this agreement will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to train in state-of-the-art equipment and build sovereign training capability.

Canada agreed to formally launch negotiations on new General Security of Information Agreements (GSOIA) with India and Germany. These agreements will strengthen defence and industrial cooperation, and unlock further defence procurement opportunities for Canadian businesses.

The Prime Minister participated in an artificial intelligence (AI) roundtable alongside other leaders from the G7 and partner countries as well as leading AI companies. They discussed the importance of a robust, coordinated approach to address the risks of AI. The Prime Minister raised Canada's AI for All strategy and Canada's objectives of prioritising online safety, including child safety, creating opportunity for workers and businesses, and building AI sovereignty.

In an increasingly uncertain world, a strong, confident Canada is taking control of its future. We are building our strength at home and forging new partnerships abroad to protect our sovereignty, build resilience, and seize new opportunities. Partners across the G7 and around the world want to build with us and partner with us, because Canada has what the world wants and the values to which many others aspire. We are a reliable stable partner in a world that is anything but.

Quote
"In an uncertain world, Canada is a pivotal, powerful, and purposeful force for good. At the G7 Leaders' Summit in Évian, we secured new partnerships to build energy projects in Canada, new agreements to make it easier for our businesses to sell abroad, and new deals to equip our Canadian Armed Forces with the hardware they need. Canada is showing up – not only with the strength of our values, but with the value of our strength."
-- The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick facts

  • This Summit followed Prime Minister Carney's visits to France and Ireland, where he advanced Canada's partnerships with two of our strongest allies.
    • In France, on June 12, Prime Minister Carney and President Macron announced the new GSOIA to strengthen defence and industrial cooperation, and advanced collaboration in strategic sectors such as aerospace and quantum science cooperation.
    • In Ireland, on June 13 and 14, the Prime Minister strengthened cooperation on AI, health technologies and biomanufacturing, agri-food, climate and clean growth, and research and innovation.
  • The G7 Leaders' Summit is an annual forum that brings together government leaders from the world's most advanced economies and democracies to discuss and collaborate on global economic, security, and geopolitical issues.
    • At this year's Summit, France also invited the leaders of Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.
  • The G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan and the Critical Minerals Production Alliance, announced in June 2025 at the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, represent a shared commitment by G7 partners to diversify the responsible production and supply of critical minerals, encourage investments in critical minerals projects and local value creation, and promote innovation.
    • In Évian, leaders agreed to broaden the Alliance into the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance, providing a framework for cooperation across the value chain.
  • Canada consistently ranks among the top destinations for foreign direct investment confidence, holds AAA credit ratings and the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, and is home to seven of the 50 safest banks in the world.
  • With 16 free trade agreements across 51 countries, Canada has preferential access to 1.5 billion consumers representing two-thirds of global GDP.

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