Prime Minister Mark Carney's Canada Day tour, Inuit talks and upcoming Saudi Arabia visit

Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to Kuujjuaq, Quebec, for an Inuit‑to‑Crown partnership committee meeting. The government pledged a new program to replace the Inuit Child First Initiative, discussed accreditation for an Inuit Nunangat University and addressed Arctic sovereignty, defence, housing and food‑security issues.

On July 1 the prime minister made a rare Canada Day appearance in Alberta, meeting Premier Danielle Smith and signaling support for the province’s pending West Coast oil‑pipeline proposal, which the Alberta government expects to submit to the federal Major Projects Office by July 2. Carney warned that the pipeline’s route and private‑sector backing remain unsettled and linked the project to national energy security.

Carney also criticised the upcoming provincial referendum on separation, likening it to the UK’s Brexit, and reiterated his government’s shift from the previous climate plan, noting that emissions could rise as Canada expands energy output.

Later in the week he will attend the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey (July 7‑8) before flying to Saudi Arabia (July 8‑10) to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The visit aims to deepen Canada‑Saudi ties in energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure and investment; Saudi Arabia is Canada’s second‑largest trading partner in the Gulf.

On Canada Day in Ottawa he delivered a national speech stressing unity, freedom and the country’s role in global challenges, while also acknowledging Indigenous contributions and ongoing reconciliation efforts.