Canada’s prime minister describes close ties with US as “weakness we need to fix”
Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney he said in a video speech released on Sunday that Canada’s strong economic relationship with the United States was once a strength but is now a weakness that needs to be addressed.
In a nearly 10-minute speech, Carney talked about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investors and signing trade agreements with other countries.
“The world is very dangerous and divided,” Carney said in his speech. “The United States has fundamentally changed its way of doing business, raising prices to levels last seen during the Great Depression.
“Many of our previous strengths, based on our close relationship with America, have been weaknesses. Weaknesses that we must address.”
Carney said tariffs imposed by President Trump have affected workers in the auto and steel industries. He added that businesses are delaying investment “prevented by the uncertainty that is upon us all.”
Many Canadians were also offended by the words of Mr proposes that Canada become the 51st state.
Carney said he plans to give Canadians regular updates on his government’s efforts to diversify from the US
“Security will not be achieved by ignoring the obvious or underestimating the very real threats we Canadians face,” he said. “I promise you I will not be able to resist our challenges.”
It is not the first time that Carney, who served as a central bank governor, first at the Bank of Canada and later at the Bank of England, has spoken about the changing world power.
During a speech in January at the World Economic Forum on Davosin Switzerland, he gained wide acclaim for rejecting the economic coercion of great powers against small countries.
His words brought Mr.
“Canada lives because of the United States,” said Mr. Trump after the speech. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Carney’s comments came days after he secured a majority government following a victory in a special election and as the opposition Conservatives pressured him to deliver a US trade deal, which was one of his election promises last year.
An update to the current version of North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico is scheduled for July.
In his speech, Carney said he wants to attract new investors to Canada, double the amount of clean energy and reduce trade barriers within the country. He also emphasized Canada’s increased defense spending, tax cuts and housing affordability efforts.
“We have to take care of ourselves because we cannot rely on one foreign partner,” he said. “We cannot control disruptions from our neighbors, we cannot control our future in the hope that it will end suddenly.
“We can control what happens here. We can build a strong country that can withstand interference from abroad.”
Carney said simply hoping that “the United States will return to normal” is not a feasible strategy.
“Hope is not a plan and longing is not a plan,” he said.
Carney said Canada has been a “great neighbor” standing with the US in conflicts including Afghanistan, as well as two World Wars.
“The US has changed and we have to respond,” he said. “It’s about taking back control of our security, our borders and our future.”
