Canada and U.S. 'much more coordinated' than it appears, Carney says to summit
Canada and the United States “are much more coordinated” than it may appear, says Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“There is still a very deep, enduring and reinforcing relationship between Canada and the United States. As Canadians, we benefit from that,” said Carney via video call to the U.S.-Canada Summit in Toronto on Wednesday.
The comments were made in conversation with Gerald Butts, the vice chairman of Eurasia Group, a political risk analysis and consulting company. Butts was former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary from 2015 to 2019.
Carney pointed out that the two neighbours were in line when it came to border security and defence. “Canada is quadrupling its defence expenditures between the end of last year and the end of this decade,” he said, adding that Canada had been “lagging.”
Canada and the U.S. were also on the same page when it came to major global conflicts, he said, such as the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine, and in the Middle East.
Carney’s remarks come a day after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The conversation between the leaders was friendly in tone, but little was accomplished in terms of a new tariff deal for Canadians. Trump said there was a “natural conflict” between the U.S. and Canada. He attributed this mainly to the proximity of the two countries and competing industries, like the auto sector.
Although there were areas where Trump and Carney did not see eye to eye — Carney recognized a Palestinian state, while Trump did not — Carney still said he endorsed the president’s Gaza plan that could bring the Israel-Hamas war to an end.
“I shouldn’t overplay it, but the momentum is there,” he said.
As for tariffs, Carney insisted that Canada had “the best deal of anyone” — but “it can be better.”
“We are in a position because of the integration, because of the level of commercial relationships, other ties between our countries, where we do have the best trade deal with the United States right now,” said Carney. “It does matter that 85 per cent of our trade is tariff-free. It does matter. Our average tariff is five and a half per cent.”
He said he was aware there were “real issues” within certain areas and he was “deliberately” working on the steel, aluminum and energy sectors to make progress. With respect to aluminum, for example, Carney said there was a discussion about whether it was the best use of energy to manufacture it for the United States, seeing as Canada produces 60 per cent of the supply to the U.S., but there’s a 50 per cent tariff.
But Carney made clear that it was Canada on his mind everyday, not the U.S.
“I don’t get up first thing in the morning, think about the U.S. relationship,” he said, “As much as I love the U.S., I think about Canada. I think about building Canada.”
With the Liberal budget set to be released this fall , Carney said in front of a crowd of Canadians and Americans in the business sector, that the takeaway should be that “we’re building this country.”
“We’re taking our responsibility seriously as government in terms of helping to build the enabling infrastructure,” he said.
Nearing the end of the discussion, Butts turned to one of the most Canadian topics available: hockey. He asked the prime minister about NHL star Connor McDavid’s contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers.
“I’m very pleased that he signed, and it’s going to be a hell of a season,” said Carney. He also added, given that the conference Wednesday was being held in Toronto, that a journalist pointed out during his meeting with Trump that Canadians were travelling the U.S. much less.
The journalist asked what would bring more Canadians to the U.S. and Carney said he replied: “Well, we’re going to be coming down for the World Series.” The Toronto Blue Jays are a contender for the Major League Baseball’s final showdown. The Jays face off against the New York Yankees Wednesday night.
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