Freshly sworn Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will fly to Paris and London on Monday in an effort to strengthen ties amidst increasing tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump over Canada’s sovereignty and economic interests.
Carney has also specifically selected France and the UK as his first foreign visit, given their historic impact on Canada’s founding identity. In Friday’s swearing-in ceremony, he highlighted Canada’s distinct character formed by French, English, and Indigenous heritage, and emphatically declared, “Canada will never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States.”
The reasons for the trip are evident, say experts. Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said, “The Trump factor is the reason for the trip. It looms over everything else Carney has to deal with.”
The 59-year-old ex-central banker will sit down with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and then head to London to hold talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The gatherings are likely to concentrate on broadening trading relations and possible coordinating measures against Trump’s tariffs. Carney will also sit down with King Charles III, in a remarkable link to Canada, since he is the first foreigner to have served as the Bank of England governor in its 300-year history.
After the European engagements, Carney will travel to the Canadian Arctic region to reassure the country’s security and sovereignty in the region before going back to Ottawa, where he is expected to request an election within the next few days.
Carney has indicated a readiness to talk to Trump but demands respect for Canadian sovereignty on both sides. Although he has no immediate plans to go to Washington, he is looking forward to a telephone call with the U.S. president in the near future.
Trump’s imposition of broad tariffs and his comments on making Canada the 51st U.S. state have outraged many Canadians, prompting a growing trend of shunning American products. The Canadian government is also reconsidering its purchase of F-35 fighter jets made in the U.S. amid the current trade dispute.
In spite of being threatened with historic election defeat, the Liberal Party received a boost in support after Trump’s belligerent economic policy. Robert Bothwell, a University of Toronto historian and expert on international relations, recommended avoiding a visit to Trump, saying, “There’s no point in going to Washington. It often results in crude attempts at humiliation, and rational dialogue is nearly impossible with someone who repeats disproven claims.”
McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland stressed the importance of Canada diversifying its trade to weather the current trade war, as more than 75% of Canadian exports go to the U.S. He also pointed to the importance of Arctic sovereignty, especially in the context of Trump’s belligerent language toward Canada and Greenland, as well as the changing dynamics with Russia in the Arctic.
