Justin Trudeau Is Flirting With…The Queen?

The Paris climate summit with world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, gets underway on Monday.

French President Francois Hollande, who was invited to address the Commonwealth meeting in advance of the Paris talks, commended the announcements by Canada, as well as Australia, to top up their climate funding.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supported the idea during the special session.

Canada on Friday backed the USA approach to major climate change talks in Paris, saying any carbon reduction targets agreed at the negotiations should not be legally binding.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj represented India at the summit of the 53-nation grouping which focused mainly on ways to tackle terrorism and combat climate change.

Canada will give C$2.65 billion ($1.98 billion) over the next five years, the newly elected Trudeau announced during a trip to Malta, where he was meeting the heads of Commonwealth countries. The contribution is part of an agreement Canada made in 2009 to work with developed countries to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 from various sources.

“All the stars seem to be aligning in one direction”, Ban told the Commonwealth meeting, pointing to Paris. The need for increased military action was backed by host nation Malta, whose leader also called for a long-term strategy focusing on better education.

“I’m over 70 years old so I’m not going to see the bad effects of what could happen but the children and grandchildren of the world are going to have to face them”, he said.

A senior Trudeau adviser, briefing reporters on the flight to Malta under agreement not to be named, said Cameron did not pressure Trudeau to reconsider his CF-18 decision when the two prime ministers met in London on Wednesday evening.

The Queen praised the advancements of the Commonwealth during her reign and even made a light-hearted joke to the prime minister of Canada after his toast, in what is more than likely to be her last CHOGM.

Trudeau, whose father Pierre was also Prime Minister of Canada, recalled the Queen’s involvement in Canada’s recent history.

In a bilateral held at Auberge de Castille, the two Prime Ministers spoke of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, with promises to further enhance cultural and trade relations. Queen Elizabeth signs the Constitution Act, thus empowering Canada’s legal foundation, including our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“In 1947, you famously vowed that your whole life would be devoted to the service of the Commonwealth”.