Prime Minister Mark Carney has refuted claims that he backtracked on his statements made in Davos, Switzerland, during a discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney emphasized that he stands by what he said in Davos during his meeting with the cabinet on Tuesday. When questioned if he retracted his remarks, Carney firmly responded with a “no.”
Carney mentioned that he had a productive conversation with Trump on Monday, covering various topics such as Arctic security, Ukraine, and Venezuela. He highlighted that Canada was the first nation to acknowledge and positively respond to Trump’s new approach to American trade policy. Carney also outlined Canada’s trade agreements with China and the country’s recent achievements in sealing 12 new deals across four continents in the past six months.
The prime minister elaborated on his 30-minute call with Trump, focusing on the forthcoming review of CUSMA and how Canada plans to leverage this review to foster new relationships within the U.S.
During an appearance on Fox News’ program “Hannity,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned witnessing the conversation between Trump and Carney. Bessent claimed that Carney was retracting statements made in his speech at the World Economic Forum, where he discussed the shift in the international order and the importance of middle powers like Canada collaborating to avoid domination by major powers.
Carney’s speech emphasized the need for middle powers to unite and not rely solely on bilateral negotiations with dominant powers. He warned against accepting subordination and stressed the significance of forming alliances to navigate the global power dynamics effectively.
While Carney did not explicitly name Trump, his speech alluded to American hegemony and highlighted the strategic use of economic integration by major powers. Carney urged countries in between great powers to choose collaboration over competition to create a substantial impact.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong criticized Carney for not releasing an official readout of his call with Trump. Chong emphasized the importance of transparency in such communications to clarify any discrepancies in accounts of the conversation. Carney has not consistently issued readouts for his discussions with Trump or other leaders, similar to the White House’s practice of not providing a readout for Trump’s call with Carney on Monday.
