Trudeau, Biden discuss rule of law at Brazil G20 summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent his first day at the G20 leaders' summit Monday speaking in closed-door meetings about issues like continental trade, fighting world hunger and multilateralism, as Donald Trump's impending return to the White House poses risks to global support for all those things.

Trudeau spent the day in and out of meetings with world leaders from Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom, but his meeting with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden took centre stage after news that the U.S. had authorized Ukraine to use American-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia.

While Trudeau did not address that issue publicly on Monday, he did say earlier this fall that he supported Ukraine using long-range weaponry to prevent Russia from continuing to kill civilians.

Defence Minister Bill Blair said in Ottawa on Monday that position has not changed, saying Canada has not placed any geographic restrictions on arms or ammunition sent to Ukraine. 

"We believe that supporting Ukraine's efforts to defend themselves against the illegal invasion of Russia is important, and that everything we were able to do to help Ukraine defend itself from that illegal invasion will bring us closer to peace," Blair said. 

Trudeau spoke with Biden for nearly half an hour in what could be their last meeting before Trump takes office in January. The White House said in its readout of the meeting that Biden "underscored the importance of Canadian defence investment and the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty."

It said both leaders "agreed that strengthening democracy and rule of law were essential to the prosperity and success of North America."

Canada has been under increasing pressure from allies, including the U.S., to meet the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence. While all NATO members have agreed to spend at least that much, Trudeau has said Canada will only reach the target in 2032.

Trudeau's office released its own readout of the meeting with Biden, which said they "expressed their shared concern about global instability" but did not reference defence spending.

"The Prime Minister and the President underlined the importance of strengthening continental and Arctic defence," the Canadian statement read.

The first all-leaders meetings at the G20 on Monday were focused on fighting global hunger and poverty. While the discussions took place mostly behind closed doors, Trudeau's office said he told his colleagues that gender equality has to be part of any solution to solving global poverty and hunger.

His office said he discussed Ottawa's efforts to not only fund emergency relief but also to address the root causes of hunger in global food systems, including the need to reform multilateral and development-financing institutions.

The second session involved the reform of global institutions to better serve various nations, including giving more of a voice to emerging countries like Brazil.

Trudeau's office said his remarks focused on the need for the United Nations to be more inclusive and balanced, and for international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund to better serve countries that say debt interest payments have left them unable to run basic services or adapt to climate change.

His office characterized those reforms as necessary to deal with "sharpened geopolitical competition, growing unilateralism, and a backlash against globalization."

Trump is among the biggest critics of some international organizations, including the UN and the World Health Organization, and intends to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, as he did during his first presidency.

Trudeau prioritized his time Monday meeting with allies, and he missed the traditional "family photo" of all the leaders attending the summit — as did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with whom he was meeting at the time, and Biden.

In introductory remarks at the start of his bilateral meetings with other leaders Monday, Trudeau said Canada was relying on like-minded countries to navigate a critical moment when global instability and inequality are undermining the international rules-based order, just as armed conflicts are leading to displacement and migration.

"There are so many issues," Trudeau told Meloni. "Misinformation on the global stage, the defence of democracy — but also, what it all comes down to is creating opportunities for our citizens; people are struggling with affordability."

When he met his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba, Trudeau's office said the talks focused on "the importance of a free, open, and fair multilateral trading system, and how to address recent challenges in the region."

With Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trudeau highlighted their shared values around protecting the environment and creating job opportunities.

"We'll obviously talk about the new American president and some of the work we're going to do together around that," he said, while also noting in French "the work we have to do on immigration."

In February, the Liberals reimposed visa requirements on Mexican nationals visiting Canada, after Quebec urged Ottawa to slow an influx of asylum claimants.

Sheinbaum noted to Trudeau in Spanish that "many Mexicans have family in Canada and they also go to work there, legally, and that is very important."

Trudeau's public remarks did not address the concerns he raised on the weekend about high levels of Chinese investment in Mexico. That issue is a potential hindrance to trade for the North American allies, given that Canada has followed the U.S. in imposing steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. It's also an area where Trudeau and Trump are likely on the same page.

Trudeau also met late Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and praised their shared priorities.

"Our focus is, and needs to be, on how we're making life more affordable, supporting our citizens, but the global context always has impacts on that," Trudeau said.

Trudeau had been scheduled to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, though this did not happen Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.

— With files from David Baxter and Nick Murray in Ottawa