Canada deepens ties with Ireland and Italy on trade, minerals and defence

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin, where the two leaders discussed expanding trade, investment and economic resilience. Canada highlighted a 150 percent rise in bilateral trade over the past decade and announced up to $2 million for the “Canada‑Ireland 180” cultural program marking 180 years of Irish migration to Canada. The dialogue also covered cooperation in health, clean energy, artificial intelligence and reaffirmed shared commitments to global security, climate action and support for Ukraine.

Separately, Carney met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in France and offered Italy priority access to Canada’s critical mineral reserves. The agreement builds on recent Italian investment in the Matawinie graphite project in Québec and Italy’s entry into the Critical Minerals Production Alliance. The leaders also launched talks on Canada’s purchase of Leonardo’s M‑346 advanced jet trainer and announced a new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank to fund long‑term security projects. Both meetings underscored Canada’s aim to secure supply chains for batteries, defence technologies and industrial production while strengthening economic and strategic ties with European allies.