The first G7 summit I attended was in Naples, Italy, in 1994. I was in the middle of my Ph.D. in international relations at the University of Toronto, and John Kirton, my thesis supervisor and director of the school’s G7 Research Group, invited me to come along. I remember having a casual conversation with then-president Bill Clinton as he enjoyed some gelato, and I got to witness the world’s most influential political leaders make decisions—not in theory, but in real time. I left Italy knowing I wanted to research how diplomacy, global governance and accountability intersect.

Since then, I’ve attended most G7s, as well as several G20s. Over the years, one question has been central to my work: do these summits actually matter? To answer it, in 1996, I helped launch a research team at U of T dedicated to tracking G7 (and later G20) results. Each year, we publish reports that assess whether leaders’ promises have translated into concrete outcomes or if their meeting was little more than a political spectacle.

This weekend, the G7 will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Kananaskis, Alberta, a tranquil mountain setting that’s been transformed into a security fortress, with military vehicles, mobile command centres, helicopters and RCMP checkpoints dotting the landscape. The main venue, the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, has been meticulously prepared; there are multiple media areas, a central discussion table crafted out of Canadian wood and a bar menu with signature cocktails for each participating nation. Even if this pomp and circumstance appears distant from the day-to-day concerns of most Canadians—like the cost of living, housing and health care—what happens in Kananaskis will have significant implications for the country’s global standing and its identity at home.

The impact of G7 diplomacy is far........

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