President of France Emmanuel Macron will be in Canada on a working visit from June 6 to 9 to attend the 2018 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Wednesday.
During the four-day visit Macron will meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss ways to deepen the cooperation between the two countries on addressing global issues such as peace and security, fighting climate change, promoting and defending democratic values, the PMO said.
The two leaders will also discuss how to better take advantage of opportunities created by the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which eliminated 98 per cent of all tariffs between the EU and Canada when it entered into provisional force on Sept. 21, 2017.
CETA has been ratified by nine EU countries, however, the French parliament has yet to ratify the free-trade treaty.
France is Canada’s ninth-largest merchandise trading partner globally and fourth-largest export market in the EU, according to the PMO.
Canada exported $3.4 billion worth of merchandise to France in 2017, and imported nearly twice that much in French goods, with the total bilateral merchandise trade at $9.6 billion.
Canadian direct investments in France were valued at $8 billion at the end of 2017, and French direct investments in Canada were valued at $8.2 billion.
“Canada and France are historic partners and longtime friends, who share a common language, history, and set of values,” Trudeau said in a statement. “As G7 partners, we share a responsibility to ensure that everyone benefits from our global economy, and that we leave a healthier, more peaceful, and more secure world for our children and grandchildren.”
The last face-to-face meeting between Macron and Trudeau was in April in Paris, when the French president hosted the Canadian prime minister during his first official bilateral visit to France.
Macron will also meet with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. On June 7, President Macron will travel to Charlevoix to participate in the G7 Leaders’ Summit.
Canada assumed the presidency of the G7 on January 1, 2018, and will host the G7 Leaders’ Summit in the Charlevoix region of Quebec from June 8-9, 2018.
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