‘Never’: New PM Mark Carney’s vow on Canada becoming part of US
Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has hard launched his term in office with an adamant rejection of US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over the country.
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Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched his term in office with a whole-hearted rejection of US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex his northern neighbour.
Shortly after he was sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau who had been in office since 2015, Carney said confronting Trump’s tariffs would be a top priority.
Canada “will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States,” he added, while voicing hope his government could one-day work together with Washington to advance both countries’ interests.
Officials said they were looking to set up a call between Trump and Carney in the coming days.
Ottawa has been rattled by collapsing cross-border relations since Trump returned to power in January, launching a trade war and demanding that Canada surrender its independence to become the 51st US state.
Ottawa has retaliated against Trump’s tariffs, while Canadian public opinion has been outraged as the US president insists the border separating the countries should be erased.
Carney has characterised the Trump administration as the greatest challenge Canada has faced in a generation, and US tariffs on Canadian goods unjustified.
He became prime minister after overwhelmingly winning a Liberal Party vote to replace Trudeau as leader.
But the former central banker, who turns 60 on Sunday, is a political novice who has never won an elected public office.
Carney’s campaign skills may be tested soon with government sources telling AFP that Canada is headed for a general election in weeks.
He said he would fly to Paris and London next week, part of an effort to reinforce Canada’s alliances overseas as ties with the US unravel. Those talks will include trade and security.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen – who said Canada-EU relations were now “more crucial than ever” – as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Carney.
Carney was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before serving as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and also led the Bank of England through the turmoil surrounding the Brexit vote.
He has sought to present himself as purpose-built to lead a country through a trade war with the United States, once Canada’s closest ally but now a country that Carney says Canada can “no longer trust.”
Carney said he was ready to work out a trade deal with Trump, but insisted there must be “respect for Canadian sovereignty” in any negotiation.
The cabinet sworn in alongside Carney keeps much of Trudeau’s team in place, including those working most closely on trade talks with the US.
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Originally published as ‘Never’: New PM Mark Carney’s vow on Canada becoming part of US
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