KANANASKIS, Alberta (Reuters) -G7 leaders are set to reaffirm a joint commitment that they agreed to a year ago to prevent and counter migrant smuggling, and will explore using sanctions to target criminals involved in smuggling,

Roughly 500 protesters gathered outside city hall to protest a range of issues, including the concerns of Kashmiri, Ethiopian and Palestinian people, as well as Canadian water security and Indigenous rights.

Carney’s first G7 challenge was his bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday morning, Trump’s first public appearance at the summit this week in Kananaskis, Canada, during which the president complained about Russia’s exclusion from the group and claimed China should be included, too.

Group of Seven leaders on Monday provisionally agreed on a strategy to help protect the supply of critical minerals and bolster their economies, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters. The draft,

Leaders arrived Monday for the start of a three-day Group of Seven summit hosted by Canada in its Rocky Mountains. Countries belonging to the G7 forum also include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

G7 leaders arrived in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, for three days of intense discussion, amid tension in the Middle East and alliance changes.

The news is about to be flooded with the latest from the Group of Seven as some of the world's most powerful leaders travel to the Canadian Rockies next week for high-level meetings on major issues.

G7 summit in Alberta features 4 new world leaders navigating Ukraine war, Middle East crisis, and trade tensions.

Trump got a Russia-related dig in at former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former U.S. President Barack Obama, who he said kicked Russia out of the G7, making it more difficult to deal with. Russia was expelled in 2014 after annexing Ukraine's Crimea, which became the precursor to the broader war.

The U.S. leader indicated that he would rather have the G7 become the G8 or possibly even the G9, although Russia and China would notably be authoritarian governments in an organization whose members are democracies.