•Mark Carney and Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced yesterday that he is set to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House next Tuesday.
Carney’s upcoming visit comes in the context of ongoing trade conflicts between the two countries, along with Trump’s threats to annex Canada as the 51st state of the US, reports AFP.
“On Tuesday, I had a very constructive call with President Trump, and we agreed to meet next Tuesday in Washington,” Carney said.
“My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada.
“We are meeting as heads of our government,” Carney stressed, adding that he was not “pretending those discussions will be easy.”
On Monday, Carney’s Liberal Party recorded an impressive comeback win in a federal parliamentary election that was largely seen as a response to Trump, whose trade conflict and criticisms of Canadian sovereignty angered the electorate.
The Liberals secured 168 out of 343 seats in Canada’s House of Commons, which allows them to establish a minority government, though they did not reach the 172 seats required for a majority.
Speaking after election night, Carney said that Canadians elected a new government to oppose Trump and build a strong economy.
He also said that an upcoming visit from King Charles III will see him deliver a speech outlining the Canadian government’s priorities on 27 May, when Parliament resumes.
“That clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country,” Carney said about the upcoming visit, in remarks aimed at Trump’s repeated call for Canada to be the US’s 51st state.
The British monarch is Canada’s head of state, a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.
Queen Elizabeth II delivered the speech twice, in 1957 and 1977.
Is Canada’s old relationship with the US over?
Since becoming prime minister after Justin Trudeau’s resignation, Carney has highlighted Canada’s founding nations, the United Kingdom and France. He repeated that the old relationship with the US, based on steadily increasing integration, is over.
It was not the first time Carney had expressed such. He had previously said that the 80-year period when the US embraced the mantle of global economic leadership and forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect is over.
While Trump mocked Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, by calling him Governor Trudeau, he hasn’t trolled Carney and instead describes him as “the least Trump hater.” However, some analysts believe that may not count much in Carney’s favour.
According to Robert Bothwell, a University of Toronto professor of Canadian history and international relations, Carney’s planned visit to Washington was ill-advised because he risks Trump insulting Canada and him too.
“There is absolutely no reason to. You can’t bargain with Trump. His word is not his bond. It’s like writing on the water of a pond, a scummy pond. We have nothing to gain,” Bothwell said.
Carney’s cabinet to be sworn in on 12 May
Meanwhile, days after Canadians voted in the Liberals for a fourth mandate, Carney on Friday outlined the priorities of his new government, which would be sworn in on 12 May.
“Now the election is over, and we are in a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. It’s time to come together, to put on our Team Canada sweaters, and win big,” Carney said.
“Now is the time for ambition, to be bold, to meet this crisis with the overwhelming, positive force of a united Canada.”
He stated plans to promptly call for an election in a particular district if the Conservative opposition wishes for Pierre Poilievre, who did not win his own seat in the election, to run in a by-election to secure a position in the House of Commons.
“No games, nothing like that,” Carney said.
Shortly after, the Conservative Party announced that a current Conservative member of Parliament from Alberta will resign so Poilievre can run in that district.
Carney, a former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England who is considered a political novice, said that he had a constructive conversation with Poilievre about Canada’s strategy with the Americans.
“I am in politics to do big things, not to be something,” Carney said.
