Conviction fallout: Trump would need special permission to attend next year's G7 in Canada
Canadian officials are already talking about it. Here's how they think it would work
As a result of Donald Trump's criminal convictions he would require special permission, if he becomes U.S. president, to enter Canada for next year's G7 summit.
The precedent-smashing guilty verdict against a major-party U.S. presidential candidate has prompted confusion about the potential international ripple effect, given that Canada is among dozens of countries to refuse entry to felons.
Canadian officials have already begun discussing, among themselves, how they would navigate what could be a novel scenario as early as next summer.
A federal official laid out to CBC News the Canadian government's understanding of how the rules would apply, if Trump were elected president, without his 34-count conviction being overturned on appeal.
The bottom line: It would likely fall upon Canada's immigration minister to grant Trump a special status to make him legally admissible for entry.
Canadian politicians were emphatically not touching this issue on the record when asked about it Friday, the day after a jury found Trump guilty of falsifying records.
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said he wouldn't engage in speculation about whether Trump might become president, but he did express horror at the thought.
"I've said before that Donald Trump would be a disaster for the United States, a disaster for Canada and a disaster for the world if he came back into office," the Montreal member of Parliament told reporters Friday.
"And I hope perhaps the results of the trial in New York would give Americans considering supporting Mr. Trump some second thoughts."
A federal cabinet member wouldn't even go that far: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault told reporters near Montreal that Canada will work with whoever wins, and he noted the countries successfully renegotiated the continental free-trade pact under Trump.
Now here's how Trump might attend any political gathering in Canada — including the summit of G7 nations it's hosting next summer.
Under Canada's immigration law, felons may be criminally inadmissible for both minor and serious crimes.
A Canadian border guard would have some personal discretion to let them in. However, the Canadian official explained, this case-by-case approach is reserved for minor offences, and is usually refused.
There are also ways for felons to rehabilitate themselves over time.
But the simplest way to allow a high-profile convict into Canada, according to the Canadian official, is for the federal immigration minister to issue a temporary resident permit.
The official said this is the method used most often for foreign dignitaries or famous entertainers who have criminal convictions.
First up: A sentence, an appeal, an election
In the meantime, Trump will try untangling his problems on the home front. He announced Friday that he will appeal the ruling.
Some analysts say he has a strong chance of success. His case has triggered sharp divisions in the legal community, with some arguing that New York state's law on falsifying business records was contorted, in his case, to apply it in novel ways.
But that appeals process could take years.
Until then, Trump has to hear his sentence. He'll learn on July 11 whether he faces jail time, or lesser restrictions on his movement, or no penalty at all.
Veteran New York criminal lawyer Mark Cohen told CBC News the court could limit a convict's travel, or even demand he surrender his passport, though that's less likely in this case.
He then contemplated the mind-boggling scenario of a U.S. president being incapable of attending a G7 or NATO summit.
"Wouldn't it be something to watch him participate on Zoom?" Cohen said. "Maybe a cat screen saver will pop up?"
And, of course, there's that major upcoming event that will decide whether this scenario ever becomes a real-life concern for the Canadian government or a historical what-if.
Trump would first have to get elected president again on Nov. 5. A few months later, the winner of that election gets to fly north for the 2025 G7 summit — maybe.
It's worth noting the last G7 in Canada also experienced Trump-related turbulence.
Trump withdrew from the summit communique, threatened new tariffs on Canada, and trash-talked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a tweet as he left the 2018 summit.
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With files from Kate McKenna