Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled Tuesday he is in no rush to speak to his U.S. counterpart about the ongoing trade war between the two countries, saying a call will come at the “appropriate time.”
Speaking to reporters in Iqaluit after returning from a two-day trip abroad, Carney said he’s not consumed by what he diplomatically called Trump’s “initiatives,” or near-daily trade threats, saying his main focus is building up the Canadian economy so that it’s more resilient to global economic challenges, including the American protectionist push.
Carney said Trump’s tariff action has “called into the question the validity” of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and there’s a need for a larger conversation with the Americans about resetting the entire bilateral relationship, something that will only happen when the time is right.
He said the “starting point” of an expected future call with Trump will be him reaffirming and reinforcing Canada’s sovereignty, something the U.S. president has repeatedly threatened.
“I look forward to having, at the appropriate time, a discussion between two sovereign nations that is comprehensive and not targeted at one issue. There’s a wide range of issues to be discussed when we do connect,” Carney said.
Asked about former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion that Trump is trying to torpedo the Canadian economy to make it easier to annex, Carney said there are misconceptions about Canada’s resilience in the U.S. and he’s going to “disabuse that misconception.”
He said that “Canada is strong and we’re going to get stronger,” and that America’s trade wars with allies would weaken the U.S.
At an announcement in Iqaluit on Tuesday, a reporter asked Prime Minister Mark Carney if he shared Justin Trudeau’s assessment of Donald Trump — that the U.S. wants to destroy the Canadian economy to annex the country. Carney said if there is a ‘misconception of that in the United States,’ Canadians would ‘disabuse that misconception.’
Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., said Sunday that Carney will speak to Trump at some point, but it won’t happen right away.
“That conversation will come when the time is right,” she said in an interview with CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live.
While the president has made a series of what she called “disrespectful” comments about Canada, Hillman said Carney will take a “businesslike” approach to any call with the sometimes volatile Trump.
“We can’t control President Trump’s behaviour. We can control our behaviour,” she said. “We can enter into these discussions and enter into this relationship from a position of confidence and strength.”
Outside of preplanned summits, new prime ministers typically make a visit to the U.S. a top priority. For example, the last three prime ministers — Trudeau, Stephen Harper and Paul Martin — all went to the U.S. early in their tenure.
Carney has taken a different approach.
It was his idea to visit the U.K., France and then Nunavut on his first trip outside the nation’s capital after being sworn in, government sources told CBC News, a deliberate nod to Canada’s three founding peoples.
Carney has played up Canada’s British, French and Indigenous roots and its continued allegiance to the Crown in the first few days of his leadership, to distinguish this country from the republic to the south that fought a bloody war of independence to get away from the British.
Canada has a “proud British heritage,” Carney said after his swearing-in ceremony. The country is “the most European of non-European countries,” he told French President Emmanuel Macron during a stop in Paris on Monday.
Carney is also leaning on Canada’s other Commonwealth connections as he nudges the country away from the U.S.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, while speaking in Iqaluit on Tuesday, announced that Canada will be working alongside Australia to build an early warning radar system in the Arctic.
To that end, he announced an agreement with Australia on Tuesday to build an early warning radar system from the Canada-U.S. border up to the Arctic, to better assert sovereignty in the region.
He said that the Commonwealth cousin is a “long-standing defence partner,” and Canada can use Australia’s expertise to help get a system like that developed quickly.
“We cannot and should not look first to others to defend our nation,” Carney said.
“The world is changing. Our adversaries are increasingly emboldened. International institutions and norms that had helped keep Canada secure are now being called into question. The United States’ priorities, once closely aligned with our own, are shifting,” he said.
Carney said he “respects” that Trump is preoccupied with the border, drugs and high-paying jobs.
He said he shares those concerns for Canada, and that’s what he will focus on.
“We can give ourselves more than anything that President Trump or any other trade partner can take away,” he said.
