Carney responds to Trump: 'Canada thrives because we are Canadians'
QUEBEC CITY — Days after a commanding speech that earned him praise on the world stage, Prime Minister Mark Carney was back in the country to hammer the values and choices that have set Canada apart for centuries — and will continue to do so, he said.
He also had a clear message to U.S. President Donald Trump: “ Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadians.”
Speaking at the Citadelle of Quebec on Thursday afternoon, Carney started off by recounting the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, which saw British General James Wolfe defeat the French troops led by Marquis de Montcalm and led to the surrender of Quebec to the British.
“Two hundred and sixty-seven years ago, this ground was soaked with blood,” he said.
“Two empires had collided. One had prevailed. What would come next? The answer that emerged — slowly, imperfectly, not without struggle, but unmistakably— cooperation. Partnership. A shared future,” he said, surrounded by his cabinet ministers.
That response, the prime minister continued, was not inevitable. He claimed it was “chosen by British administrators who “eventually saw the wisdom of cooperation” and “chosen by French Canadians who eventually committed to build within the new reality.”
From that emerged, he said, the “growing commitment” that the coexistence of two peoples, who fought each other, speaking two different languages, practicing different religions and with two different legal traditions, can “coexistence could make us stronger.”
“In a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism, Canada can show how diversity can be a strength, not a weakness. In a time of democratic decline, we can show how rights can be protected, and equal freedoms endure,” he said.
“In a time of rising walls and thickening borders, we can demonstrate how a country can be both open and secure, welcoming and strong, principled and powerful.”
“Canada cannot 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; it can still bend towards progress and justice,” he said.
Carney said values such as inclusivity, fairness, solidarity, sustainability and ambition are not “abstract ideals” but practical guides that are an integrant part of Canada’s identity.
“Our duty is to be inspired by them to continue to build in these revolutionary times.”
His public comments are his first since the speech he delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday where Carney declared the death of the old “rules-based international order” and exhorted countries to speak out against bullies and “hegemons”
Carney’s speech elicited a chilly but brief response from Trump who, during a 70-minute address in Davos on Wednesday, claimed that Canada — and its prime minister — should be “grateful” to its southern neighbour.
“They should be grateful to us, Canada — but they’re not. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
But Carney’s speech was met with a standing ovation in the room and drew direct praise from so-called “middle powers” including Mexican and Australian officials.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called it a “very good speech” that is “in tune with the current times,” while Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was a “stunning speech” that is being “widely shared and discussed” inside his government.
Carney and his ministers are taking part in a cabinet retreat — which his government has renamed “Cabinet Planning Forum” — to prepare for the year ahead.
The location of their cabinet meetings was symbolic. The Citadelle of Quebec is a fortress which was built by the British army in the early 19th century to resist an American attack that ultimately never came. Today, it remains an operational military base.
On Thursday afternoon, Carney and his ministers were expecting to hear from Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, Scotiabank’s Rebekah Young, as well as Kirsten Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, for a panel on affordability and cost-of-living.
They were also going to hear a briefing on the economic and fiscal overview of the country by Frances Donald, chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada, and Jean Boivin, head of BlackRock Investment Institute.
But Carney — who is only two seats away from forming a majority government after Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland resigned earlier this year — also had a message for Canadians at the start of a new and unpredictable year: the federal government needs to move, and fast.
Several key pieces of legislation, including the budget implementation act and many initiatives to fight crime, are stuck in parliamentary limbo.
Meanwhile, the world — and technology — is moving fast.
“The advent of artificial intelligence will simultaneously challenge fairness, inclusion and solidarity while creating enormous opportunities to improve how we live, work and play. These tensions can only be reconciled if AI works for all,” Carney said.
He said his government will soon present an “AI for all strategy” to tackle the challenges of the new technology while maximizing its potential for all Canadians.
Parliament is set to resume its work on Monday after a seven-week winter break.
National Post
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