Anthony Albanese’s warm Canadian welcome for G7 summit
Anthony Albanese arrived in Calgary bearing Australian gifts for his Canadian counterpart in his first formal engagement of the Group of Seven leaders’ summit. See photos.
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Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney will work to strengthen the Australia-Canadian defence alliance as they sit down for their first face-to-face meeting.
Arriving for their first bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit in Calgary on Sunday, Mr Carney said both countries shared many similar interests including defence, security and critical minerals.
“I look forward to strengthening our defence relationship,” Mr Albanese told his counterpart.
Almost 100 Australian firefighters were recently deployed to Canada to help battle wildfires still raging in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“I just want to say, maybe on a bit more of a personal note, Australia has been very helpful to Canada through the years, and most recently with the terrible wildfires that have been raging across our northern prairies,” Mr Carney said.
“And once again, as Australians always do, and you always do, have stepped up.”
The two countries regularly assist in wildfire responses and in 2020, Canada sent firefighters to respond to Australia’s Black Summer bushfires.
Mr Albanese said firefighters from both countries had played a vital role in assisting one another.
“We know that climate change is meaning that those (fire) seasons are growing, unfortunately, but we have cooperated in a way that is seamless as well, and you can always rely upon Australia,” Mr Albanese told the Canadian Prime Minister.
“I know that our Australian firefighters are really proud of the effort that they’ve been able to make, including during the wildfires which you’re experiencing.”
Mr Albanese will seek to strengthen defence ties as he meets with other leaders and said part of his discussion with Mr Carney focussed on Canada’s proposed procurement of Australian radar technology.
“We did discuss deepening defence engagement, including Canada’s proposed procurement of Australian over-the-horizon radar technology,” he said.
“I welcome Canada’s interest in procuring Australia’s world leading technology, and look forward to our respective teams prioritising this work.”
Mr Albanese is also expected to discuss a Security and Defence Partnership with the European Union leaders when they meet on Tuesday that could lead to increased collaboration on counter-terrorism, defence and technology.
“I think that Australia always has a case for maximising our defence and security relationships in what is an uncertain world,” Mr Albanese said.
“I think what’s clear is that in the uncertain world, what people are looking for is certainty in relationships, trusted relationships.”
Mr Albanese said a successful meeting with Mr Trump would be one in which he could put forward Australia’s position on major issues, particularly tariffs.
“We see tariffs as acts of economic self-harm by the country imposing the tariffs, because what it does is lead to increased costs for the country that is making those decisions,” he said.
“Now, I would hope that over a period of time, the United States revisits that position and will continue to advocate that on steel and aluminium.”
Asked if he was concerned about Mr Trump’s track record of volatility in meetings with other world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Albanese said he looked forward to a constructive and respective dialogue.
“The discussion with Mr Trump I expect, will be very much about Australia and the United States and our relations,” he said.
“That will be very much the focus. We’ve got a few things to talk about.”
One of those issues will be the trilateral AUKUS agreement between the US, UK and Australia that Mr Albanese said was “very much in in the interests of all three countries”.
He said it would support the US industrial capacity and kept American subs in the water with Australian maintenance facilities.
“In addition to that, there’s all of the support that we give to the United States and with our defence relationships, including fuel reserves in the Northern Territory, including the presence of both US forces in Darwin as well, there’s a range of benefits that come,” he said.
“And indeed, having Australia the United Kingdom and the United States all having increased nuclear powered submarines, in our case, conventionally armed, is something that will make the Indo, Pacific area more secure.
“That is in the interests of the United States. And I will indicate that very clearly going forward.”
Questioned if the Mr Trump could be confident Australia would stand by the US in the event of a major conflict like Chinese aggression to Taiwan, Mr Albanese said the goal was stability.
“The role of AUKUS and the role of nation states in our region including our partners is for peace and security in the region,” Mr Albanese said.
“That’s what we want.
“And Australia’s a trusted partner to promote peace and security in our region. We have been so for ever. If you look at the role that Australia has played, will continue to play an important role in the Pacific.
“That is our job. That is what we do, and we all want to see.”
Mr Albanese will present the Canadian PM with an Akubra and framed memorabilia from the National Film and Sound Archives of Australia from the movie Gallipoli – Mr Carney’s favourite film.
In return Mr Carney gifted the Australian Prime Minister a Stetson during the visit in the heart of Canada’s cowboy country, which plays host to the annual Calgary Stampede rodeo festivities.
He also gifted a bronze bear sculpture made by local Canadian wildlife artist Roy Hinz.
It will be the second time the two Prime Ministers have come face-to-face after their first meeting on the sidelines of Pope Leo’s inauguration in May.
Mr Carney, a formal central banker, swept to power in May after a campaign of defiance against America in which he denounced Mr Trump’s crippling tariffs and pushed back on the President’s threats to turn Canada into the 51st state of the US.
The Canadian government last week bowed to pressure to increase defence spending amid criticism from NATO and the Trump administration about its lacklustre military budget.
The decision increases pressure on Mr Albanese to follow suit as the US continues calls for Australia to urgently lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
The meeting with Mr Carney kicks off a flurry of high-level meetings for Mr Albanese who will also hold bilateral talks with the leaders of France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, he is due to hold a trilateral meeting with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa where they will welcome the resumption of negotiations toward an Australia-EU free trade agreement.
Mr Albanese is also expected to accept an invitation to consider a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU that could increase collaboration on counter-terrorism, defence and technology.
However all eyes are on Mr Albanese’s final meeting of the summit which will take place late with Mr Trump late Tuesday local time – Wednesday morning in Australia.
The meeting could be a tense affair with the two men at loggerheads over tariffs, defence spending and sanctions on Israeli ministers.
Mr Albanese says he will be making Australia’s case for the continuation of the crucial AUKUS defence pact which is under review by the Pentagon.
Originally published as Anthony Albanese’s warm Canadian welcome for G7 summit