Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that after decades of partnership with the United States, close economic ties between the two countries have become a “weakness” that must be corrected. Carney gave remarks on Canada’s relationship with the US in a 10-minute video on Sunday, in which he signalled that Canada must move away from excessive reliance on any one country. Trump’s comments that Canada should become a US state have also rattled Canadians.
At one point in the video, Carney held up a toy soldier depicting General Isaac Brock, a British military commander who fought against US forces during the War of 1812 invasion of what is today Canada. Carney’s Liberal Party government secured a parliamentary majority in special elections earlier this month, giving him more room to manoeuvre on key economic issues such as US trade relations. A review of the free trade pact between the US, Canada, and Mexico is scheduled for July.
Carney became prime minister in 2025 after a campaign in which he promised to take a firm stance towards what many Canadians have perceived as unwarranted hostility from the US. While tensions have eased between Trump and Carney, and some tariffs have been rolled back, the Canadian leader has sought closer economic ties with countries such as China to reduce Canada’s dependence on the US. We can’t control our future on the hope it will suddenly stop.”
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