U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will be in the Ottawa region this week for a gathering of his peers from most G7 countries and Ukraine. Speaker of the House of Commons Francis Scarpaleggia will host his counterparts from Thursday to Saturday as part of Canada’s G7 presidency. His office says the officials will gather to discuss the challenges facing legislators worldwide and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy. The meeting will involve working sessions on such themes as online disinformation, “fostering respectful debate” in a climate of political polarization, and violence against lawmakers. Canada has chosen to invite the chair of Ukraine’s parliament and major parliamentary officials from G7 countries, though Japan will not have its House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga present. The Japanese embassy in Ottawa wrote that Nukaga “has obligations to attend Imperial Household events scheduled for the same period.” In Canada, parliamentary Speakers preside over debate and play largely ceremonial roles in welcoming and greeting foreign dignitaries. In some other countries, Speakers have more power and can prioritize legislation and assign committee memberships. This week’s meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine have alarmed European leaders, who fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin will further challenge European security if he gains territory through any ceasefire agreement. Moscow occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014 before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It’s not clear how many other G7 meetings Canada will host, though it’s customary for the chairing country to hold ministerial meetings on themes like the environment or energy. G7 finance ministers met in Banff in May and foreign ministers met in Charlevoix, Que., in March. A second G7 foreign ministers meeting is planned, with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s office saying she will host her counterparts — likely including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — “in Ontario this autumn.” Anand’s office said the themes and dates of other possible G7 ministerial meetings are in the works. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025
