Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed off on 12 new trade deals, bolstering Ottawa's relationships with foreign nations and signaling a move away from the United States. During a meeting with provincial and territorial leaders on Thursday, Carney expressed confidence in his country's economic future and asserted that he "expects" the US to respect Canada's sovereignty.
Carney's comments come amidst tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has long pushed for Canada to become a 51st state. The trade agreements reached over the past six months include a new deal with China, which Carney hailed as unlocking $7 billion in export markets for Canadian farmers and ranchers. However, Trump had previously threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on Canada, accusing it of serving as a "drop-off port" for Chinese goods.
In response to these criticisms, Carney played down the significance of the trade agreement with China, emphasizing that Ottawa was not seeking a free-trade deal with Beijing. Instead, he highlighted the potential benefits for Canadian agriculture and announced plans to advance trading relationships with other global giants like India and ASEAN.
Carney's pledge to diversify Canada's trade partners comes as he navigates an increasingly unpredictable international landscape. In his recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney warned that the "rules-based" international order was on the decline, replaced by a new era of great power rivalry where might makes right.
His comments were widely seen as a rebuke to Trump, who has launched an aggressive tariff campaign against global trading partners and has threatened to intervene in the affairs of other nations. The Canadian prime minister's assertion that he "expects" the US to respect Canada's sovereignty is likely to be seen as a direct challenge from Carney to Trump's unconventional approach to foreign policy.
In a separate development, reports have emerged that US officials have met with separatists seeking independence for the oil-wealthy province of Alberta. Carney was asked about these meetings during his Thursday meeting with provincial and territorial leaders, and he replied: "We expect the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty... I'm always clear in my conversations with President Trump to that effect."
Carney's comments come amidst tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has long pushed for Canada to become a 51st state. The trade agreements reached over the past six months include a new deal with China, which Carney hailed as unlocking $7 billion in export markets for Canadian farmers and ranchers. However, Trump had previously threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on Canada, accusing it of serving as a "drop-off port" for Chinese goods.
In response to these criticisms, Carney played down the significance of the trade agreement with China, emphasizing that Ottawa was not seeking a free-trade deal with Beijing. Instead, he highlighted the potential benefits for Canadian agriculture and announced plans to advance trading relationships with other global giants like India and ASEAN.
Carney's pledge to diversify Canada's trade partners comes as he navigates an increasingly unpredictable international landscape. In his recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney warned that the "rules-based" international order was on the decline, replaced by a new era of great power rivalry where might makes right.
His comments were widely seen as a rebuke to Trump, who has launched an aggressive tariff campaign against global trading partners and has threatened to intervene in the affairs of other nations. The Canadian prime minister's assertion that he "expects" the US to respect Canada's sovereignty is likely to be seen as a direct challenge from Carney to Trump's unconventional approach to foreign policy.
In a separate development, reports have emerged that US officials have met with separatists seeking independence for the oil-wealthy province of Alberta. Carney was asked about these meetings during his Thursday meeting with provincial and territorial leaders, and he replied: "We expect the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty... I'm always clear in my conversations with President Trump to that effect."
canada's prime minister mark carney is like "hey us, chill out 
we got our own trade deals now 
". 12 new trade deals are in and he's feeling confident about canada's economy 
. trump wants canada to be a 51st state 
but carney is all "nah, we're good 
".
worth $7 billion for farmers and ranchers 
. india and ASEAN are next on the agenda 
. it's like carney is saying: "we're not your bestie us 
, we got our own friends 
". might makes right at world economic forum 
, that's what carney said anyway 
.
" to trump 
. it's like a game of international chess 
, but with tariffs and trade deals 
meanwhile, china is like "hey, we'll give you 7 billion in export markets if you don't block our goods" and canada's all "sure, why not?" 
anyway, gotta keep an eye on this whole great power rivalry thing... might get messy 
! Mark Carney is straight fire 
, signing off on 12 new trade deals that are gonna boost their economy and relationships with other nations. I love how he played down the China deal, it's not like they're just trying to become best buds 
. And I gotta say, Canada's diversifying their trade partners and making moves away from the US 
this is like so concerning dude, i get why canada wanna diversify their trade partners but at the same time trump's all like a crazy person 
just saw this news about Canada's PM Mark Carney signing off on 12 new trade deals 
Carney's not afraid to stand up for Canada's sovereignty and assert its own interests on the world stage 
is a major win for Canadian farmers and ranchers! They'll get $7 billion in export markets, yay 
. The trade deal politics between Canada and the US are getting pretty heated, but I think this move by Carney shows that we don't have to take things lying down 
. We can negotiate our own terms and build alliances with other countries that respect us for who we are 
i mean, it's like a whole different flavor profile. i swear, it's like drinking liquid heaven 
i'm not even kidding, i've been there like 3 times this week already... anyway, back to canada... carney seems like a cool guy, but i dont get why trump is so bent outta shape about the trade deals