Justin Trudeau pleased with G7 progress on fostering economic growth

Justin Trudeau says he's encouraged by the pledges made Friday by his fellow Group of Seven leaders in Japan, on both their renewed vow to stop paying ransoms for hostages and their approach to boosting the global economy.

But the prime minister's push to encourage leaders of all the G7 advanced economies to commit to boosting government investment as a way to help the stagnant global economy did not yield across-the-board support.

Trudeau 'pleased' with G7 progress

8 years ago

Duration 2:19

PM had two goals, a statement against terror ransoms and another advocating stimulus spending. You win some, you lose some

Instead, the G7 leaders pledged to implement their own 'country-specific'strategies. The countriesvowed to use a more-balanced response to lift growth. They also agreed that monetary policy cannot alone create stronger, sustainable growth.

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Trudeau, in his remarks after Friday's session, said it was important to focus on income equality and sustainable growth. Each country needs to"use the levers available to each of our economies in as fulsome a way as possible to create growth that is going to help the middle class and create opportunities for our citizens and around the world," he said.

With regards to specific measures to foster economic growth, Trudeau said he was eager to "move forward on getting the Canada-Europe free trade agreement signed and ratified as quickly as possible."

The 32-page declaration from the summit did commit to fight protectionism and called the potential United Kingdom exit from the European Union a serious risk to growth two positionsTrudeauhad publicly supported in recent days.

Overall, the document touches on a range of subjects, including refugees, health, terrorism, security, climate, trade and the global economy.The annual summit sees Canada's PM join the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Justin Trudeau in Japan for G7 summit

8 years ago

Duration 2:30

Security, refugees, health and climate change are on the agenda

German Chancellor AngelaMerkelsaid she didn't expect any concrete offers in the finalcommuniqufrom other G7 members to take in refugees. She did say, however, that she had a bilateral meeting withTrudeauand told him how much she appreciates the large number of refugees his country is taking in.

"One has to consider that Canada isn't right next to Syria and yet it still feels responsible for the problems there," she said.

'Unequivocally reiterate' to not pay ransoms

Trudeauspokesman CameronAhmadsaid Canada was encouraged to see the G7 mention the importance of quality infrastructure, highlight an upcoming Global Fund conference in Montreal to raise cash to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and a reiteration of its opposition to paying ransoms in exchange for kidnapped citizens.

However, the content of the G7 stance against paying ransoms did not appear to go much further than the leaders' position on the same issue at a summit three years ago.

Trudeau insisted there was a broad recognition around the table that paying for ransoms directly or indirectly helps keep terrorist groups in business.

"I expressed my firm resolve and the clear resolve of Canadians to prevent the Canadian flag from becoming a target when worn on a backpack around the world," he said.

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Trudeau sidestepped a question on whether he'd publicly condemn a G7 leader should one of the countries at the summit pay for ransoms in the future.

Recent events have made the issue of hostages of particular concern forTrudeauand his government.

Last month, Canadian hostage JohnRidsdelwas beheaded by AbuSayyafmilitants in the Philippines who had demanded a large sum of money in exchange for his release.

Another Canadian, Robert Hall, was kidnapped by the same group and is still being held hostage in the Asian country.

In the document, the leaders said they "unequivocally reiterate" their resolve not to pay ransoms to terrorists.

"It doesn't seem like a firm commitment does it?" said David Welch,CIGIchair of global security at theBalsillieSchool of International Affairs.

"This was a Canadian push, that much is clear. Whether the Europeans, in particular, follow through will be interesting. Europe has a long tradition of paying ransom to solve hostage situations."

Leaders keen to avoid another economic crisis

The talks followed an urgent appeal by the host, Japanese Prime MinisterShinzoAbe, to avert another global crisis. Abe compared the current global economic situation to conditions just before the 2008 financial crisis, saying vigilance was crucial for averting a relapse.

"We learned a lesson that we failed to respond properly because we did not have a firm recognition of the risks," Abe said Thursday.

PresidentBarackObamabacked Abe's call, saying it was crucial not just to put people back to work but also raise wages and maintain the momentum of the recovery.

"Weak demand andunaddressedstructural problems are the key factors weighing on actual and potential growth," the declaration said. "We have strengthened the resilience of our economies in order to avoid falling into another crisis and to this end commit to reinforce our efforts to address the current economic by taking all appropriate policy responses in a timely manner."

"We remain committed to ensuring that growth is inclusive and job-rich, benefiting all segments of our societies," it said.

The leaders also expressed concern over territorial tensions in the East and South China seas. The declaration does not mention China and its expansion into disputed areas specifically, but calls for respecting freedom of navigation and of overflight and for resolving conflicts peacefully through law.

The summit has taken placeamid extraordinarily tight security around the remote summit venue, with uniformed police standing guard at close intervals on both sides of roads and randomly in forests, rice fields, soccer fields and other locations.