G7 Ambassadors Panel highlights key economic challenges ahead of Kananaskis Leaders’ Summit

Economic challenges ranging from trade barriers to energy exports were the focus of discussion at a G7 Ambassadors Panel hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy (SPP) and Canada West Foundation ahead of a critical meeting of global leaders in June. 

Concern over Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas and the lack of infrastructure for energy-rich Canada to be a supplier of oil and gas to the continent was a main area of conversation for the panel ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis June 15-17.

The panel discussion was moderated by Canada West Foundation President and CEO Gary Mar and SPP Director Martha Hall Findlay, James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy. 

The panel also included: 

• His Excellency Matthias Lüttenberg, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Canada 
• Her Excellency Geneviève Tuts, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada  
• His Excellency Rob Tinline, British High Commissioner to Canada

The event was held at UCalgary's Downtown Campus and kicked off with remarks from Chancellor Jon Cornish and Alberta’s newly appointed Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall, BA'87, a former president of the UCalgary Students’ Union. 

The upcoming Kananaskis Summit comes amid multiple armed conflicts around the world and a global trade war initiated by the U.S. that has targeted G7 members.   

With economic security so high on the agenda, it takes the G7 back to the 1970s energy crisis that was the original catalyst for the leaders of key industrialized countries to meet annually.

The Ambassadors Panel came soon after the G7 Finance Ministers meeting in Banff. Kananaskis last hosted the main Leaders' Summit in 2002. This is only the third time the meeting has returned to a location, after London and Tokyo.

Cornish set the tone for what is at stake and reinforced a pathway to success in an increasingly polarized world.

“At this critical moment of global co-operation, we must remember that the strength of the G7 has always been our shared commitment to our fundamental values — democracy, human rights, the rule of law and free markets,” Cornish says. 

“These principles transcend any single administration or political cycle. When discourse threatens our collective voice, we must recognize that fractiousness within our ranks poses a greater threat than any external challenge. 

"A G7 that speaks with courage and conviction about its core values doesn’t require unanimity on every issue, but it does demand that we never compromise the principles that brought us together.”

What’s next?

The Ambassadors Panel was the first of two G7 events UCalgary will host in advance of the Leaders’ Summit. 

On Thursday, June 12, the university and SPP team with the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto to host a conference titled Plans, Prospects and Possibilities for the G7 2025 Kananaskis Summit. Dentons Canada is the presenting sponsor of the event to be held on main campus.  

The speaker lineup is led by two former prime ministers: Jean Chretien, who was prime minister when Kananaskis last hosted the 2002 Leaders’ Summit, and Joe Clark, who led Canada during the 1979-1980 global energy crisis. 

The panel discussions with subject matter experts include: The G7 – Past, Present and Future; Insights on Alberta’s Role in Global Energy, with Premier Danielle Smith; Energy, Energy Security and Critical Minerals; Military and Economic Security; and Quantum Computing, AI and Emerging Technologies. 

For more information on the June 12 event, visit Plans, Prospects and Possibilities for the G7 2025 Kananaskis Summit.

More coverage

For further coverage, see the below articles and commentary following the G7 Ambassadors Panel:

• CTV News – Ambassadors say G7 summits remain relevant 50 years later
• Calgary Herald – ‘It surprises us’: European ambassadors question Canada’s internal trade barriers
• CBC News – What do G7 talks mean for Alberta? An opportunity to centre province in world discussions
• CTV News – Ambassadors to Canada take part in G7 event in Calgary