Anand to hold bilateral meeting with Rubio, other foreign ministers for G7 talks in Niagara region

Director of the G7 research group, Prof. John Kirton, discusses the importance of Canada hosting the G7 foreign affairs ministers and what might be discussed.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to have a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on Wednesday afternoon, her office has confirmed to CTV News.

Starting later today, the foreign ministers from all G7 countries will be convening in Ontario’s Niagara-on-the-Lake for a strategy session on a series of pressing global issues.

“The issues we are facing transcend the G7 and our borders, and this is why it is absolutely vital that we have diverse geographic representation around the table,” Anand told reporters earlier Tuesday evening. “So let’s get started.”

The condensed summit is set to officially get underway around 6:45 p.m. ET, with opening remarks and a “family photo” with the participating G7 ministers. The main meetings will be happening the following morning, and the closing press conference is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Anand has five other bilateral meetings scheduled for Tuesday evening, before a closed-to-media working dinner on global peace and security. She’s set to meet with the foreign ministers from Japan, France, Brazil, India, and Germany.

“We will have a constructive exchange on critical priorities, including advancing long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, supporting security and building prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, and responding to urgent crises in Haiti and Sudan,” Anand said of the working dinner.

With Ontario’s weather taking a turn for the wintry, unlike the scenic Kananaskis, Alta. summit last June, those coming to wine country will likely be opting for indoor flag backdrops when countries convene side bilateral conversations throughout the resort space where the summit is being held.

Canada’s year holding the G7 presidency is coming to an end, and this meeting of foreign affairs officials from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union, is the second of its kind since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office.

Back in March, then-foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly hosted her counterparts in Charlevoix, Que. While some of the most pressing files discussed at the time have evolved – such as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars – Canada’s desire to diversify its economic and trade relationships remains a leading priority.

Other countries taking part in talks

As host, Canada has also invited ministers from several other “outreach countries” – as Global Affairs officials describe them – opening participation to Ukrainian, Mexican, Australian, Brazilian, Indian, Saudi Arabian, South Korean, and South African officials.

Anand will be leading the summit as this country’s top diplomat and said in a statement sent to media ahead of the meeting that the gathering is coming “at a pivotal moment for international cooperation.”

“This is really the culmination of Canada’s presidency of the G7 this entire year,” said G7 Research Group director John Kirton. “The foreign ministers are the most important ministers in the whole entourage.”

Among the issues set to be discussed – with the aim of achieving coordinated responses to shared challenges, according to Anand’s department – are energy transitions, critical mineral development, technological innovation, maritime security, economic resilience, as well as defending democracy and international law.

Rubio’s office offered a slightly different description of what topics will be on the table, though, telling reporters that the secretary of state is coming to this country with plans to “advance U.S. interests.”

In a statement previewing his travel, Rubio’s office added that “discussions will focus on advancing President Trump’s peace initiatives in Ukraine and Gaza, maritime security, Haiti, Sudan, supply chain resiliency, and critical minerals.”

Whether the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade and sovereignty tensions – and similar frictions Trump’s tariffs have caused with other nations – loom as largely over these talks as they did during other Canadian G7 gatherings this year, remains to be seen.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Monday, Anand said that her American counterpart has eased off the annexation rhetoric and anticipated all participants coming to the table to tackle crucial issues confronting the world “in good faith.”

With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk