Key Points – Despite President Donald Trump’s 2024 felony conviction and ongoing strained US-Canada relations, he will not be banned from attending the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15-17.
-While Canadian law can bar foreign criminals, legal experts note this typically applies if the offense is also a crime in Canada, and exceptions exist for public policy reasons, such as state visits.
-The Canadian government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has given no indication it would prevent Trump’s attendance, and both leaders have looked forward to the meeting.
-Past calls to ban Trump, notably from former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, lack current political traction.
Trump to Attend G7 in Canada Despite Conviction & Frosty Relations
Around the time that Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts in New York in the spring of 2024, there was some speculation about whether that conviction might limit his foreign travel.
Last July, after Trump was convicted and when he continued to face three other criminal cases, The Conversation wrote about the issue of whether Canadian law might prevent Trump from traveling north of the border- and that was before Trump returned to the presidency, imposed new tariffs on Canada, and started talking about claiming Canada as America’s 51st state.
Per that Conversation story, authored by law professor Catherine Dauvergne, Canada has a Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, which refuses refugees who have committed “serious criminal acts.”
“At first blush, Canadian immigration law provides an easy answer: anyone convicted of a criminal offence is inadmissible. But there are several reasons why this simple rule may not prevail for Donald Trump,” Dauvergne wrote. The restrictions would only apply, however, if the crimes are also crimes in Canada.
She did note, however, that “ Canadian immigration law allows for exceptions to criminal inadmissibility on humanitarian and compassionate grounds or for public policy reasons,” which would likely not preclude a state visit. And it turns out one is coming up.
What of the G7?
The liberal website Alternet this week cited Dauvergne’s article, when asking whether Trump might be “legally barred” from attending the next G7 summit, which is scheduled to take place in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, from June 15-17.
The White House has already announced that Trump will be in attendance for the summit.
Despite the often frosty relations of late between the U.S. and Canada, the Canadian government has shown no indications that it would invoke Canadian law to prevent Trump from traveling north of the border.
Recent tensions notwithstanding, Canada values its relationship with the U.S., and Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, traveled to Washington to meet with Trump shortly after he was elected. And in the prime minister’s readout of that meeting, the prime minister’s office stated that the two leaders “looked forward to meeting next month at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis.”
Trump’s felon status is not believed to have affected his foreign travel at any point since he was convicted.
A Call For a Trump Ban?
There has been a call to not allow Trump to attend the G7 from a Canadian elected official. But it came in February from Jagmeet Singh, then the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP). And it wasn’t, at least primarily, about his felon status.
“We need to ban Donald Trump from attending the G7 summit. Donald Trump should not be welcomed here,” Singh said in a speech at the Conseil des Relations Internationales de Montréal (CORIM).
“Why would we invite someone who has threatened our economic well-being? Why would we invite someone who threatens allies and threatens the world’s stability? Why would we allow a convicted criminal into our country?” Singh said.
Singh, however, was not part of Canada’s ruling party, and in the recent elections, he lost his seat and subsequently stepped down as leader of the NDP.
Looking Ahead to the Summit
The G7 summit should be an eventful one, with the leaders of the seven leading democracies attending, in addition to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The status of the war in Ukraine, as well as the associated peace talks, will be a major topic of discussion, as will tariffs and trade.
This week, the finance ministers of the G7 countries met, also in Canada.
“We found common ground on the most pressing global issues that we face,” Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in the closing press conference, per Reuters.
“I think it sends a very clear signal to the world … that the G7 is united in purpose and in action.”
About the Author
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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