Ties between the US and Canada appear to be deteriorating again, with the Canadian Prime Minister slamming Trump’s comments and the US President canceling his invitation for Carney to join the ‘Board of Peace.’
Earlier, PM Mark Carney hit back at President Donald Trump’s provocative claim at the World Economic Forum that “Canada lives because of the United States.”
“Carney pushed back hard, saying the two countries have a strong partnership built on security, trade, and cultural ties, but he made it clear: “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.” His words came during a national address in Quebec City, drawing cheers from Canadians who saw it as a firm stand against the US.
Carney’s comments followed his speech in Davos, Switzerland, where he won a standing ovation for his frank assessment of a “rupture” in the US-led, rules-based global order.
That speech, which made world headlines, was widely viewed as a reference to Trump’s disruptive influence on international affairs, although he was not mentioned by name.
Carney told Davos that middle powers like Canada, which had prospered during the era of an “American hegemon,” needed to realize that a new reality had set in and that “compliance” would not shield them from major-power aggression.
Trump took umbrage and taunted Carney during his own speech the following day.
“I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” the US president said on Wednesday. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
In Carney’s Thursday speech, aimed at a domestic audience, he said that Canada should serve as a model in an era of “democratic decline.”
“Canada can’t solve all the world’s problems, but we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion,” the prime minister said.
Earlier, Trump had repeatedly threatened to annex Canada and make it the 51st province of the USA. The US President also posted on social media a map of Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela covered in the American flag.
On Thursday, Carney said Canada was not under any “illusions” about the precarious state of global relations. “The world is more divided. Former alliances are being redefined and, in some cases, broken.”
Citing his government’s plans to ramp up defense spending, Carney said “we must defend our sovereignty (and) secure our borders.” Canada, he further said, has a mandate “to be a beacon, an example to a world that’s at sea.”
Meanwhile, Trump has withdrawn an invitation for Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to join his newly constituted “Board of Peace.”
“Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Earlier, Canada reportedly said it would not pay to be on Trump’s “Board of Peace”, after PM Carney indicated he would accept an invitation to join the body. “
Canada will not pay for a seat on the board, nor has that been requested of Canada at this time,” the government source said.
The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Member countries — represented on the board by their head of state or government — would be allowed to join for three years or longer if they paid more than $1.0 billion in cash within the first year, the charter says.
“The proposed Charter is still a document under discussion and many terms and conditions are still being worked out,” the government source further said.
The source added that Carney had initially indicated he would join the board “because it is important to have a seat at the table to shape this process from within. Agence France-Presse
© Agence France-Presse
