Canada in ‘listening mode’, will take small Commonwealth nations’ concerns to G7: Joly – National

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Canada will bring the concerns of the smaller Commonwealth countries to G7 leaders in Germany Sunday, in particular, is the growing threat of famine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Joly arrived in Kigali, the capital of Rwandaon Wednesday for the meeting of the heads of the commonwealth, which has been dominated by the concerns of countries suffering from food shortages.

She said Canada is in “listening mode” in the Commonwealth, where leaders of smaller nations can speak without the dominant presence of the United States, Russia and China.

Canadian officials tried to assert that the cause of the shortage was Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Joly told reporters Friday night in Rwanda: “What is clear to us is that Russia is weaponizing food and causing damage to many countries around the world, and putting 50 million lives at risk. “.

She said Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s ports and grain silos and systematically blocking grain from reaching countries that need it.

Trudeau attempted to meet the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, for several days during the Commonwealth summit but the sit-down was repeatedly postponed and eventually cancelled.

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Ukraine, food crisis expected to dominate Trudeau’s trio of international summits

Shortly after Trudeau arrived in Rwanda, the government announced Canada would send a new ambassador to the African Union, which is suffering from food shortages in the continent as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine. .

Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with representatives of the African Union, with Russia blaming Russian sanctions for blocking the flow of grain.

Trudeau heads to the Bavarian Alps in Germany for the G7 Summit on Saturday night, where conflict with Ukraine will be the primary focus.

Joly said she spoke with her G7 counterparts on Friday and hopes hunger and safe passage for Ukrainian refugees are a top concern.

Some of the other voices the prime minister has promised to gather at his international meetings belong to youth leaders, who spoke at a dialogue event on Saturday, focusing on key issues. problems faced by young people around the world.

Several delegates spoke about the devastating effects of climate change, especially around remote island nations, where infrastructure cannot withstand natural disasters and rebuilding efforts take years. . One delegate told the forum that the onslaught took a toll on education and health services.