Was Mark Carney’s Davos speech a mistake if it upset Trump?

In an interview with an American television network this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent volunteered some advice to Mark Carney.

“I would just encourage Prime Minister Carney to do what he thinks is best for the Canadian people, not his own virtue-signalling, because we do have a USMCA negotiation coming up,” Bessent said, using the American name for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

“He rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump message, and that’s not a great place to be when you’re negotiating with an economy that is multiples larger than you are and your biggest trading partner.”


I think Carney is priming the LPC for a snap election.

Pissing off Trump is just free campaign advertising for his gullible base.

It’s entirely possible he prefers China as a personally profitable alternative to the US.

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Canadians now prioritize trade with China over human rights concerns

A growing majority of Canadians now view economic engagement with China as more important than focusing on the country’s human rights record, a new Angus Reid Institute poll shows.

Three-in-five respondents (59%) said trade and investment opportunities should be Canada’s main priority, marking a sharp shift from recent years when human rights concerns dominated public opinion.

(Incognito)

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How Chinese EVs Have Impacted Global Markets—and What It Means for Canada as It Opens Its Market

Canada is set to open its automotive market to Chinese electric vehicles, as researchers and policymakers warn that a flood of Chinese products in markets such as Europe has come at the expense of domestic producers.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a deal with China to allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into Canada annually at a 6.1 percent tariff, replacing the 100 percent tariff imposed in 2024 amid concerns over Beijing’s non-market practices.

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Trump says ‘very dangerous’ for UK, Canada to do business with China as Starmer lands in Shanghai

Donald Trump said it was “very dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Shanghai on the third day of his visit to the country.

…Beyond his brief comments, Trump did not say anything further about the UK’s engagement with China, pivoting instead to Canada and delivering a similar warning.

He said it was “even more dangerous, I think, for Canada”.

“Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer,” he added.


Odd language for a non-trade deal

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Exploring Venezuela’s Crisis and Canada’s Chinese Influence

Exploring Venezuela’s Crisis and Canada’s Chinese Influence

Canadian conservative and political theorist William Barclay joins The Spectacle Podcast hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay to discuss the future of Venezuela, the relationship between Canada and the U.S., and the rising problems posed by progressive ideology and identity politics.

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Message to Mark Carney: Europe without America doesn’t work

Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England and now Canadian prime minister, was the toast of Davos last week for a speech that seemed to perfectly capture the moment with its talk of a “permanent rupture” and its supposed master plan for responding to the “Trumpquake” in global affairs.

But how realistic was his vision of a coalition of “middle powers” – by which he seemed to mean mainly Canada, Europe, the UK and Japan – to keep the torch of the old liberal order burning bright?

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The Golden Dome, a Trumpian con job, is a waste of money for Canada

Golden Dome is back in the news, albeit in an unusual way.

It’s not because Russia or China are building new intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, but because U.S. President Donald Trump worked himself into a corner promising he’d acquire Greenland one way or another, and the inevitable result was economic turmoil, the possible end of NATO, and Prime Minister Mark Carney telling the world the Pax Americana is effectively over.

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Starmer would be a fool to follow Carney in embracing Beijing

Sir Keir Starmer recently tried to take credit for his role in Donald Trump’s partial climbdown on tariffs relating to Greenland. Whether he played any meaningful part is debatable.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that Donald Trump will happily reach for the tariff weapon again whenever it suits him. Even against long-standing allies, and especially against those he believes are acting against US interests.

Just look at Canada and the increasingly heated rivalry between Trump and the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney. The president last week threatened eye-watering tariffs of 100pc on all goods and services entering the US.

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Canada’s New Reality: What can we learn from Canada’s pivot away from the U.S.?

I’m still processing how the world changed last week. President Trump’s wild threats against Greenland — and by extension against America’s NATO allies — crystallized for many leaders what they already believed but perhaps were too scared to say out loud: The rules-based international order is no more.

The man who said it out loud, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, became something of a hero in Davos. Today, I’m writing about what Canada’s efforts to pivot away from an increasingly volatile America can teach other countries.

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China Is Embedded in Canada’s Arctic

“Russia is without question a threat in the Arctic,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said this month at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Without question, Russia does lots of horrible things.”

Russia, despite all the horrible things it does, is not able to challenge Canada without its partner. Carney was quick to name China as the biggest security threat to his country during a federal election debate last April. At Davos, however, he was not willing to talk about China posing a danger to his country.

Moreover, his foreign affairs minister was similarly reluctant. Anita Anand in Davos did not name names when reporters asked her to cite the top threat facing Canada.

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John Ivison: Chinese imports are already causing problems for Canada we shouldn’t allow

There is a reason why the United States and Canada consider China a “non-market economy.”

Beijing, rather than market forces, determines production and prices.

Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2000, it has been able to access Western markets, without offering reciprocal access.

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Barry Appleton: Canada faces the most serious trade threat in a generation — and Carney’s to blame

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Canada with 100 per cent tariffs on all goods if Prime Minister Mark Carney proceeds with his China trade deal. The president’s language was characteristically blunt: Canada would become a “drop off port” for Chinese goods, and “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it.” This is the predictable consequence of Carney’s reckless foreign policy.


It is alleged Carney is an intelligent man so he had to understand the consequences of his comments.

Which leads me to believe he acted to ensure China and not the US is our partner.

Trump isn’t working for Canada but neither is Carney.

Carney a two-faced Liberal? Talking Big for the Elbow People?

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Doug Ford and Mark Carney make peace after changes to Chinese EV tariff

It’s pizza in our time.

Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney made peace over Pizza Nova slices Monday in Etobicoke.
Ford, who settled for a veggie piece, bought Carney a slice of Hawaiian, joking, “I know you will probably get me on taxes so I’ll pay for this.”

Monday’s confab at a Royal York Road plaza came after the premier had complained last week that the prime minister blindsided Ontario when he slashed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles earlier this month during a trade mission to Beijing.


Dougie seems to have bought into a new vision! The ChiCom spyware on wheels is still on the way but something swayed Ford.

Doug Ford calls federal auto strategy ‘great’ and says Ontario will be part of it after meeting with Carney and Joly

Ontario Premier Doug Ford appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to the federal government’s auto strategy after hearing more about it from federal officials.

“I also want to thank Minister (Mélanie) Joly for coming up with a great auto strategy that the minister has put together that we’re going to be part of,” Ford said at a news conference with Joly at Queen’s Park Monday after the two met.

Kinda odd the way Joly is lookin at Dougie…

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Note to Mr. Carney, China is not our friend

Well, who saw that coming? Yesterday’s threat from President Donald Trump – that Canada would face 100% tariffs on all exports to the United States (US) if it “does a deal with China” – was widely reported and widely derided in Canadian political circles.

Yet if you strip away the hyperbole and the social media grandstanding, Trump’s response was both predictable and in a narrow strategic sense, reasonable. Think about it; to establish a continental security perimeter against Russia and China, he’s trying to get his hands on Greenland. But even as he’s doing that, the Government of Canada is opening up a backdoor entry point to China.

(Incognito)

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China’s envoy says Beijing, Ottawa ‘eye to eye’ on supporting Greenland

OTTAWA — China’s envoy to Canada says the two countries “see eye to eye” on the need to support Greenland’s territorial integrity and Beijing wants to play a productive role in the North — even as analysts warn Moscow and Beijing are working together in the region.

“China’s consistent policy is to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. That goes to Greenland, that goes to Canada, and that goes through all the other countries,” Chinese Ambassador Wang Di said through an interpreter this week.

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