Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday said it is time for his country to “take control” of its future, arguing that Ottawa’s long-standing alliance with the United States has been ruptured beyond repair.
“The U.S. has changed, and we must respond,” Carney said in a 10-minute video address. “It’s about taking back control of our security, our borders, and our future. There are some who say there’s no need for a comprehensive plan. They believe we should wait it out in the hope that the United States will return to normal, that the good old days will come back. But hope isn’t a plan. And nostalgia is not a strategy.”
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Carney’s words come after President Donald Trump declined to spare Canada and other allies from his steep “Liberation Day” tariffs last April, triggering backlash from Washington’s northern neighbor, and a reset in trade relations between the countries. In the months since, Ottawa’s decision to deepen ties with other nations, including China, has sparked outrage from U.S. officials, further deepening tensions. Bickering over a crucial bridge project between Ontario and Detroit provoked more conflict in recent months, while Trump’s quips about making Canada the 51st U.S. state have not helped the relationship, leading Carney to declare that “Canada is not for sale.”
Historically, Canada’s economy has been deeply intertwined with the U.S. But with the reset of trade relations, Carney has warned that the integration has become a liability. “We have to take care of ourselves,” he said on Sunday, arguing that it is futile to hope that the Trump administration will change its position.
“The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression,” he said. “Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become weaknesses. Weaknesses that we must correct.”
“We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner.… We can control what happens here. We can build a stronger country that can withstand disruptions from abroad,” Carney added. “We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbors. We can’t control our future on the hope it will suddenly stop.”
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Trump has described Canada as “ungrateful” for what Washington brings to the table.
“Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way, they should be grateful,” Trump said in February during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
