Canada’s Carney invites Mexican president to G7 summit

TRENTON, Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada next month, local media reported Tuesday.

That would give the two leaders the opportunity to discuss tariffs and the future of North America’s trilateral trade agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit, set for June 15-17 in Alberta.

The Globe and Mail newspaper first reported the story based on two anonymous sources because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Whether Sheinbaum will accept the invitation is unknown and the Mexican embassy in Canada declined comment.

Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, was pushing for Carney to issue the invitation to the Mexican president.

“It’s a no-brainer because we share a continent with this other democracy,” he told the Globe and Mail. “To have her there, who has been very effective in managing and working with the president, someone the president has fondness for, is not a bad ally.”

“Our sense is that she is an important partner,” said Hyder, who has met and spoken with Sheinbaum twice recently.

“Our best hope is that the leaders will find a way to direct the trade negotiations teams to commence with a process of reviewing and renewing the free trade agreement.”

Hyder said that trying to find a deal acceptable to all three leaders will be difficult, particularly with Trump, but there is no choice.

“It’s tightrope that has to be walked,” he added.