Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chancellor Friedrich Merz met on June 17, 2026, in Évian, France, to strengthen bilateral cooperation across energy, critical minerals, and advanced technologies. The meeting, held on the margins of the G7 Leaders' Summit, highlighted significant progress between Canada and Germany over the past year, including new agreements on artificial intelligence, quantum, and battery technologies.

The leaders noted the launch of the Sovereign Technology Alliance and the establishment of more than six new critical mineral partnerships. British Columbia's Ksi Lisims LNG recently secured landmark agreements with German companies Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) and Uniper to supply low-carbon Canadian LNG to Germany annually.

New Investment Partnerships

Prime Minister Carney and Chancellor Merz welcomed two new investment partnerships in Manitoba involving Canada's Sio Silica, German company RCT Solutions, and other partners. The first partnership will support a high-purity silica project to extract 99.9%+ pure silica sand, which is highly valued for manufacturing solar panels, semiconductors, and defence-related technologies. The second partnership aims to build a fully integrated solar manufacturing hub.

The leaders also issued a joint statement on critical minerals, reinforcing their commitment to securing supply chains for essential resources.

Defence and Security Collaboration

Prime Minister Carney and Chancellor Merz discussed the strong bilateral defence and security relationship, announcing the conclusion of negotiations for a new General Security of Information Agreement. This agreement is expected to unlock further defence procurement opportunities for Canadian businesses by facilitating partnerships between Canadian and German defence industries.

Prime Minister Carney underscored Canada's efforts to establish the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, which will provide multi-year, low-cost financing for defence, security, and resilience initiatives. The leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and agreed to maintain pressure on Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East, welcoming the peace agreement between the United States and Iran.

Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier appeared before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) on June 16, 2026, to present recommendations for strengthening the federal government's Buy Canadian policy. The union emphasized that the trade war launched by the United States has exposed Canada's economic vulnerability and the need to rebuild industrial capacity. Unifor argued that public investment is an opportunity to support jobs and manufacturing expertise through increased Canadian content in procurement.

Cloutier highlighted the situation at PACCAR in Ste-Thérèse, Canada's last remaining truck assembly plant. Since the trade war began, the plant has undergone multiple layoffs, losing nearly 800 jobs, while daily production dropped from 92 to 25 trucks. Unifor stated that governments have significant leverage to support the manufacturing industry through procurement policies.

The union presented three main recommendations to the committee. First, apply Buy Canadian rules to major strategic contracts financed by public funds that have not yet been awarded, specifically citing VIA Rail's $3-billion contract for new railcars and locomotives. Second, exclude U.S. suppliers from preferential treatment in future reciprocal procurement policies. Third, use legislative tools to discourage companies from relocating production to the United States in response to unjustified trade measures.

Cloutier also urged the government to move away from the lowest bidder principle. Instead, he suggested considering criteria such as local content, industrial footprint, and manufacturing sovereignty. Unifor asserted that local procurement policies must become a pillar of Canada's economic strategy to protect jobs, support communities, and strengthen economic resilience against international trade turbulence.

Unifor is Canada and Quebec's largest private-sector union, representing 320,000 workers across the economy. In Quebec, the union represents nearly 55,000 members and is affiliated with the Fédération des travailleuses et travailleurs du Québec (FTQ).