Canada Strikes a Balance on the World Stage for Its Own Survival in Davos
Prime Minister Mark Carney received a standing ovation for his blunt description of the end of Pax Americana. He is looking for new allies to help his country survive it.
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada delivered a stark speech in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, prompting global political and corporate leaders in the audience to rise from their seats for a rare standing ovation.
He referred to the current phase as “a rupture,” describing the end of the era that was supported by American hegemony. He never mentioned President Trump by name, but his reference was clear.
The speech came as President Trump reaffirmed his threat to seize Greenland from Denmark and stated that he would impose additional tariffs on European nations for their support of Greenland’s sovereignty. Global leaders have been scrambling to find a unified response.
“We’re reminded every day that we live in an era of rivalry between great powers,” Mr. Carney stated That the order based on rules is deteriorating. That the strong can accomplish what they can, while the weak must endure what they must Additionally, he issued the following warning: “The middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” He would know.
Mr. Trump started his second presidential term making claims on Canada as the 51st state and threatening Canada’s previous leader, Justin Trudeau, whom Mr. Trump made a public mockery of the neighboring nations by unilaterally terminating agreements that had governed their relationship for more than a century. He has imposed tariffs on Canada, which, along with Mexico, is one of the United States’ two most important trading partners.
These tariffs have crippled some of Canada’s most important economic sectors, including automobiles, steel, aluminum, and lumber. Mr. Steve Bannon, one of Trump’s allies, has discussed the advantages of annexing Canada in order to gain access to its vast Arctic and natural resources, such as vital minerals and rare earths. Mr. Carney also criticized other leaders for not upholding their interests, and many of them would have been listening to his speech in Davos.
He stated, “There is a strong tendency for countries to cooperate with one another.” “To make room. To avoid trouble. to believe that safety will come from compliance.
It will not.” Mr. Carney made it clear that he is going in a different direction. He wrote his own speech, according to a government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the inner workings of his team, which is a departure since speeches of this magnitude are usually prepared by high-level staffers with the leader’s input.
Mr. Carney, a former investment executive who has served as the governor of Canada and England’s central banks, has attended the global gathering about 30 times, according to his office.
Mr. Carney spoke not long after Mr. Trump had posted an altered image on social media that featured a map of American flags superimposed over both Canada and the United States, as well as Greenland.
It highlighted the Canadian prime minister’s motives for flexing his rhetorical muscle on the Davos stage: Canada’s economic and, perhaps literal, survival.
Canada’s economy, defense, and culture are all deeply integrated with the United States. The country’s position in the ongoing Greenland crisis is somewhat distinct from that of the European powers in Mr. Even though they are all NATO allies, Trump’s focus.
When asked how far he would go to get Greenland, Mr. Before leaving for Davos on Tuesday, Trump said, “You’ll find out.” Mr. Carney has repeatedly said Canada stands squarely behind Greenland and Denmark, but unlike European powers, did not send troops to participate in the most recent military exercise. President Trump is threatening those nations with fresh tariffs, but not Canada.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron concurred with Mr. Carney, saying that “we do prefer respect to bullies. Furthermore, “we do prefer rule of law to brutality,” Mr. Trump’s latest tariff threats as an unacceptable “endless accumulation of new tariffs” used as “leverage against territorial sovereignty.”
Canada exports some 75 percent of its goods and services to the United States; its second largest partner, China, gets less than 5 percent.
The two countries share the world’s longest land border.
Every day, American and Canadian troops exercise together, including in the Arctic, and the two militaries collaborate closely at every level. The two nations have a joint command for North American air defense. As part of a routine training exercise that, according to the joint air command, Denmark has approved, aircraft from both countries are currently based at an American air base in Greenland this week.
Should the United States choose to militarily intervene in Greenland, this situation would quickly become extremely challenging for Canada. Mr. Carney had been attempting to reach a deal with Mr. Trump over trade, and the two men seem to get along well. Even so, talks are frozen (the two men are scheduled to be in Davos on Wednesday, but have no meeting scheduled).
A regular review of a free-trade agreement between the Canada, the United States and Mexico, known as the U.S.M.C.A., is due this year and its fate is very much up in the air.
Mr. Even though, for instance, the majority of the oil that the United States imports come from Canada, Trump has stated that the United States does not require anything that Canada exports. Nonetheless, Canada is attempting to end its long-standing reliance on the United States at a time when the country is governed by an erratic, erratic, and at times menacing president.
Mr. Carney Following a week of traveling and official visits to China and Qatar, Carney gave his speech. Mr. Carney struck a deal with China to allow a small number of electric vehicles into Canada at a reduced tariff, breaking with U.S. policy that it has followed since the Biden administration, in exchange for China lowering some tariffs on Canadian agricultural goods.
Perhaps of greater significance is the declaration by China and Canada of a “strategic partnership” that heralds a new era of cooperation with America’s rival for superpower dominance. A list of his trips to other countries since he became prime minister in March shows Mr. Carney’s never-ending hustle. He has spent nearly 60 days traveling internationally, trying to secure new trade deals. In contrast, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mr. During the same time frame, Macron and his wife spent approximately 40 days traveling internationally.
The pace and intensity of Mr. The people of Canada who voted for Carney last spring have high hopes for him because of his global reach and his promise to assist Canada in surviving this historic shift in American power. Even senior advisers, speaking anonymously to talk freely about the risks of this strategy, say there is a chance of under delivering, and acknowledge that no one partner or deal can quickly supplant the overwhelming role the United States plays in Canada’s economy and security.
The opposition Conservative Party has accused him of neglecting domestic issues like the cost of living and housing and putting too much emphasis on overseas travel that does not immediately yield results.
Mr. Carney Even though he receives praise for his overseas performance, Carney is one seat short of a parliamentary majority, a deficit that could hinder his ability to govern. “There are a lot of voters who wanted to see this from Mark Carney, and expected it from him,” said Ginny Roth, a former conservative adviser and partner at Crestview Strategy, a Canadian public affairs firm. “But there is also a significant portion of the electorate—up to 40%—who lives in a different world and does not have the luxury of worrying about what Mark Carney said at Davos.”
