Prime Minister attends the G7 Summit in Ise-Shima

The Government of Canada remains committed to creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it. When the majority of middle class Canadians feel confident about their future – and their families’ future – the whole country benefits.

Today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, concluded the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Ise-Shima, Japan. Following the Summit, the G7 leaders issued a joint-declaration where they committed to tackle major global challenges such as the need to promote sustainable economic growth that benefits all citizens, not just the wealthiest one per cent.

While in Ise-Shima, Prime Minister Trudeau shared Canada’s proactive approach to bolster economic growth by making strategic investments in infrastructure and clean technologies – investments that will support good, well-paying jobs and strengthen the middle class. He underscored the need to improve growth around the world, but also stressed the need to question who the growth is going to benefit. “For Canada, we know what made us successful in the past – a strong middle class. At the G7 this week, we had the opportunity to sit down with some of our closest international partners and discuss ways to not only improve global economic growth, but to also make sure that growth benefits all our citizens, not just a select few,” Trudeau said.  Trudeau’s Liberals made improving life for the middle-class part of their election platform.

The G7 leaders also discussed pressing foreign policy and security challenges, including Russian interference in Ukraine, the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the global migration crisis. The Prime Minister highlighted the need for G7 solidarity to refrain from paying ransom to terrorist groups.  Canadian John Ridsdel was beheaded late last month in the Philippines  following ransom demands by Abu Sayyaf; a group associated with ISIL. 

During the Summit, the Prime Minister also supported Japan’s decision – as host country of the Summit – to place a particular focus on women’s empowerment and health. He shared Canada’s commitment to advancing gender equality and advancing women’s rights, and he encouraged his G7 counterparts to demonstrate leadership in the context of the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which will be held in Montreal in September 2016.