PM Carney heads to Europe for G7 summit in French Alps

Prime Minister Mark Carney is departing on a six-day trip to Europe this week, marking his ninth visit to the continent since taking office 15 months ago.

Carney will begin in Paris on Friday with a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, then travel to Ireland for meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly before ending the trip at the annual G7 leaders' summit in Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps.

The visit aims to position Canada as a reliable and constructive partner to Europe. Officials framed the Paris meeting as Canada passing the G7 presidency to France, which took over from Canada in January. Carney had been prime minister for just 14 weeks when Canada hosted the G7 leaders a year ago.

Carney will make his first official visit to Ireland on Saturday, including an official dinner at Dublin Castle. He'll also visit County Mayo and the town of Aughagower, where his grandparents emigrated to Canada in the early 1920s. He still has relatives in the area.

Canadian and Irish officials are expected to discuss expanding cooperation in agri-food, digital innovation, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and climate. Ireland has become a major centre for foreign investment and international tech companies.