Hello everyone. I’d like to start by thanking Prime Minister Kishida and Japan for their welcome. The G7 countries are our allies and our closest friends. We’ve had a very productive week. We’ve discussed the economy, security and the fight against climate change, and a number of other matters that are important to our countries and the world.

This week with our G7 allies we reaffirmed our support for Ukraine. As you know, on Thursday, Canada imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities that provide military technology to Russia’s armed forces that are involved in ongoing human rights violations including the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

I had the opportunity to speak directly with President Zelenskyy in person. I can say it was really great to see him again. We speak every few weeks, but being able to sit down with him as he continues to lead through this extraordinarily difficult time as he continues to embody the courage, the strength and the resilience of the Ukrainian people made it a real privilege to be able to sit down and reconnect with him.

He provided an update of the situation on the ground. He talked about how important it was to continue to reach out to partners around the world and friends to ensure solidarity and the support for Ukraine and for the principles that underpin peace, stability and prosperity that we had in this world over the past many, many decades.

What we saw around the table including with outreach partners is a solid commitment to obeying the UN Charter, to respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states and that is the basis on which we will be able to move forward. Of course, for our part, Canada will continue to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with everything it takes for as long as it takes.

Of course meeting here in Hiroshima was symbolic and it served as a reminder of the devastating consequences of war. This week, the G7 issued the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament in which we condemn Russia’s reckless nuclear rhetoric. The threat of nuclear weapons is also very real here, in the North Pacific. Security and stability in the region is an important part of our Indo-Pacific Strategy. This is why we announced this week that Canada is investing in projects to help identify, investigate and respond to North Korea’s activities related to weapons of mass destruction. We also announced additional funds for the International Atomic Energy Agency to continue monitoring Iran’s nuclear commitments.

Of course, when we speak of security in the world, we must also speak of economic security. One of our priorities with our G7 allies is to continue to strengthen our supply chains. Canada will continue to play a key role, particularly with our critical minerals, which are essential for building a clean and resilient economy. Be it because of the war, the pandemic or climate change, we see the consequences of this instability on our economies and our citizens. We all agree that we must also protect ourselves against authoritarian countries who use their economic clout to put unfair pressure on others. It is for that reason that this week, we launched a platform that will help us coordinate our approach against economic coercion.

If we want the world to be more stable, we must also continue to work to close the infrastructure and investment gap in low and middle-income countries. We had a meeting about exactly that yesterday in which we reaffirmed the G7’s goal to mobilize up to $600 billion by 2027 for the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. As a part of this, for example, Canada is investing in projects that include solar grids and village electrification. This will grow the economy and create good jobs for people. It will help reduce poverty. It will also help fight climate change and achieve our sustainable development goals.

Canada has come to Hiroshima to encourage greater ambition and unity within the G7 on a way forward to meet the needs of emerging and developing economies. We are listening and we are taking action, including by working together to make international financial institutions deliver for all countries.

The leaders I met this week recognize that our world is in a critical period. G7 members will continue to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, while fighting against food insecurity. More than ever in this critical period, we must not only brave urgent barriers, but also make strategic decisions to build a better tomorrow for all.

Summits like these are important moments to coordinate our efforts to strive for a better future for all people. In this consequential moment for the world, the G7 continues to be united and resolved.