Canada's stewardship of the 2025 G7 Summit is both a return to familiar ground and a test of its diplomatic mettle. Hosting for the seventh time, and for the third time in the 21st century, Canada welcomes leaders back to Kananaskis a site etched in G7 memory for its 2002 summit, which recalibrated the group's agenda after 9/11. Now, in a world more fragmented and volatile than ever, Canada's challenge is to reconcile its own priorities with the collective imperatives of the G7. The symbolism of Kananaskis is not lost: a remote, rugged landscape for a summit facing global turbulence.
Agenda in Focus
Ottawa's declared priorities for the 2025 presidency are ambitious: economic resilience in the face of slowing global growth, digital transformation as both opportunity and risk, climate leadership amid intensifying environmental crises, and inclusive growth that addresses widening inequalities. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, in her January 2025 policy address, emphasized "a G7 that delivers for people, not just markets." The official agenda, released in February, commits to a Digital Trust Charter, a North Atlantic Climate Compact, and a new Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity. These priorities are not mere slogans they are anchored in recent policy documents and ministerial communiqués, reflecting both domestic pressures and international expectations.
Historical Precedents
Canada has a track record of shaping the G7 agenda in moments of transition. In 2002, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Africa Action Plan put development at the center of the summit, leading to the first G7 commitment to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The 2018 Charlevoix summit, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, foregrounded gender equality and education, resulting in the landmark Charlevoix Declaration on Quality Education for Girls. Yet, the follow-through has been uneven: only 62% of Charlevoix's education funding pledges were fully delivered by 2023, according to the G7 Accountability Working Group. Canada's presidency is thus both an opportunity and a test of credibility.
Statistical and Policy Analysis
Canada's economic profile is robust yet vulnerable. With a GDP of $2.4 trillion (2024), it ranks 10th globally but is heavily dependent on trade; exports account for 32% of GDP, with the U.S. absorbing 75% of those exports. Digital adoption rates are high: 94% broadband penetration, and Toronto is now North America's third-largest tech hub by venture capital investment. On climate, Canada's 2030 target is a 40-45% emissions reduction from 2005 levels, but as of 2024, emissions are down only 19%. These figures reveal both ambition and shortfall. Canada's priorities align with the G7's collective agenda on paper, but diverge in detail: Ottawa's push for a just energy transition faces resistance from European partners wary of North American LNG expansion, while its digital policy proposals go further than those of Japan or Italy.
Analogy and Engagement
Is Canada acting as a prudent facilitator or a strategic agenda-setter? The analogy is instructive: in management, a chair can either mediate consensus or drive transformation. Canada's approach appears hybrid seeking to build bridges on climate and digital trust, while advancing national interests in trade and energy. The risk is dilution: by trying to please all, Canada may end up pleasing none. Yet, as former G7 Sherpa Peter Boehm notes, "Canada's strength lies in its ability to convene and connect, not to dictate."
The legacy potential of Canada's presidency hinges on execution. Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for "a G7 that is both ambitious and accountable." International observers, from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to African Union Chair Moussa Faki, have praised Canada's agenda but cautioned against overreach. The Kananaskis summit will test whether Canada can move from aspiration to action leaving a legacy not just of bold declarations, but of measurable progress. As the world's middle power on the world's grandest stage, Canada's moment is now; its challenge is to make it matter.
[Major General Dr Dilawar Singh is an Indian Army veteran who has led the Indian Army's Financial Management, training and research divisions introducing numerous initiatives therein. He is the Senior Vice President of the Global Economist Forum AO ECOSOC, United Nations and The Co President of the Global Development Bank.]
