16 June 2026 09:45 UTC · Prime Minister of Canada · PMO News Release · Source · Email X Link

Prime Minister of Canada says deepening Canada-Italy ties

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Cooperation on critical minerals, energy, defence
Negotiations launched for M-346 trainer purchase

TL;DR

Prime Minister Mark Carney met Giorgia Meloni at the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian, France to deepen cooperation across critical minerals, energy, defence, and supply chains.
Italian energy company Eni invested almost $100 million to procure Canadian graphite from Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine in Québec.
Leaders launched negotiations for Canada’s purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft from Leonardo and agreed to collaborate on stockpiling critical minerals.
Prime Minister Carney reaffirmed support for Ukraine, discussed the Middle East, and emphasized plans for a Defence, Security, and Resilience Bank.

Original text

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, on the margins of the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian, France. The leaders noted ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation across a range of priorities, including critical minerals, energy, defence, and secure supply chains. This includes a recent investment of almost $100 million by Italian energy company Eni to procure Canadian graphite from Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine in Québec, where construction recently started just six months after the project’s referral to the Major Projects Office. The last year has seen Italy become a member of the Critical Minerals Production Alliance launched at the 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, a Canadian Trade Mission to Italy, and a Canadian Critical Minerals Investment Forum in Italy. Building on this progress, Prime Minister Carney welcomed Italy’s intention to collaborate with Canada to stockpile critical minerals. These efforts will catalyse further partnerships between the two countries in energy and industry. Canada and Italy are becoming increasingly close in defence and security. To that end, the leaders were pleased to launch negotiations for Canada’s purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft designed and produced by Leonardo, one of Italy’s largest aerospace companies. Leveraging Italian expertise in aerospace and defence, this agreement will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to train in state-of-the-art equipment and build sovereign training capability. This is Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy in action, with the Build-Partner-Buy approach building at home and partnering with reliable allies. Prime Minister Carney also underscored Canada’s efforts to establish the Defence, Security, and Resilience Bank to provide multi-year, low-cost financing for defence, security, and resilience initiatives. The prime ministers reaffirmed their enduring support for Ukraine and agreed on the imperative of keeping up pressure on Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Meloni agreed to remain in close contact. Associated link Canada-Italy relations

Prime Minister of Canada says deepening Canada-Italy ties

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