OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Egypt, where he joined U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders for the signing of a peace plan to end the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Carney briefly spoke with leaders from European and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Palestinian Authority and the secretary general of the United Nations, after arriving in Egypt Monday.
The Prime Minister’s Office said they discussed “next steps for collaboration: humanitarian, security, (and) reconstruction.”
“People expect things to change and we all need to collectively ensure lasting peace,” the emailed statement said.
Carney later exchanged brief remarks with Trump during a photo opportunity, in which their words were not audible to media. Carney then sat with the other leaders as the peace deal was signed in front of cameras.
During remarks to media, as the U.S. president was speaking about the various countries in attendance, Trump appeared to refer to Carney as the “president” of Canada.
“He knew the importance of this. He said, I want to be there. So many people have done that. They called,” Trump said.
“I mean, they heard about it, and these are not people that can do that very easily. They have pretty big schedules … the most powerful people, and I appreciate you being here very much, Mr. president. Fantastic.”
Following the remarks, Carney was the first leader to walk over to Trump and reach out for a handshake. The two men exchanged brief remarks, which ended with Trump laughing and tapping Carney on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. Their remarks were again not audible on video.
In a social media post, Carney said the day “marks the beginning of a new and important chapter.”
“At the Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, we are focused on next steps for peace and security in the Middle East, including ensuring that life-saving aid is delivered urgently,” he said in the post on X.
The gathering of world leaders, dubbed “Summit for Peace,” comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons.
In a statement issued earlier in the day, Carney called the release of hostages, which is part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, “a moment of profound relief” and urged all parties to uphold the ceasefire.
“For the Jewish people, this is a moment that holds two truths at once — a grief for what cannot be restored, and a fragile light of what might still be repaired,” Carney said in the statement.
He said it is a time to remember all those murdered in the Hamas’ “heinous terrorist attacks” of Oct. 7, 2023, including Canadians Vivian Silver, Netta Epstein, Alexandre Look, Judih Weinstein, Shir Georgy, Ben Mizrachi and Adi Vital-Kaploun, as well as others with close ties to Canada like Tiferet Lapidot.
In the statement, Carney praised Trump’s leadership in advancing the peace plan and called on all parties to implement the terms of the ceasefire.
That includes establishing a transitional governance for Gaza and working toward a permanent political solution where Israelis and Palestinians peacefully coexist. Hamas must disarm and play no role in the future governance of a demilitarized Palestinian state, reads the statement.
“The release of hostages must be a turning point toward lasting peace,” Carney said.
Media were not notified of Carney’s trip before it was confirmed through an update to his Sunday itinerary, about three hours before his plane was set to depart.
In a statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that two years “after Hamas’ sadistic attack on innocent Israelis, the families of twenty hostages are finally able to hug their loved ones.”
“This peace provides an opportunity for the Hamas-launched bloodshed to finally end,” Poilievre said. He also thanked Trump “for his leadership negotiating a peaceful closure to this war.”
Even as the deal was signed, major questions remained unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war even as the world pushes for peace.
Under the first phase of the deal, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.
The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.
Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority.
A major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank and Egypt’s postwar plan estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2025.
— with files from The Associated Press
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
