New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is making his first foreign trip to Europe as tensions rise with U.S. President Donald Trump over trade and Canadian sovereignty.
Carney will visit Paris and London to strengthen alliances and discuss economic diversification, while steering clear of Washington for now.
Newsweek contacted the White House and Canada’s Foreign Ministry for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Carney’s trip comes at a critical moment as Trump has imposed sweeping 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and openly suggested that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
The comments have infuriated Canadians and prompted boycotts of American products, leading to a surge in the polls for Carney’s Liberal Party.
The prime minister’s European visit aims to forge new trade agreements and shore up alliances in response to Trump’s economic moves.
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
What To Know
At his swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Carney underscored Canada’s distinct identity from its southern neighbor, saying, “Canada will never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States.” The 60-year-old former central banker, now leading the Liberal Party, is positioning himself as a leader ready to stand up to Trump’s aggressive policies and rhetoric.
Carney is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, likely discussing strategies to counterbalance U.S. tariffs. He will also meet with King Charles III, Canada’s head of state, marking a symbolic moment for the former Bank of England governor.
The trip also includes a stop at Canada’s Arctic, reinforcing Ottawa’s commitment to Arctic sovereignty amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Although Carney has expressed a willingness to speak with Trump, he made it clear that such a conversation would happen only if the U.S. president shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. The new prime minister said he has no immediate plans to visit Washington, though he hopes to arrange a phone call with Trump soon, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, Carney’s government is reviewing its planned purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, potentially reconsidering the deal in light of the ongoing trade conflict.
Trump and his allies’ repeated calls for Canada to become part of the U.S. have not been well received in Canada, polls show.
A January YouGov poll among 1,030 Canadian adults and 1,091 U.S. adult citizens found that the vast majority of Canadians, as well as many Americans, opposed the idea of Canada becoming the U.S. 51st state.
The survey, conducted among 1,091 U.S. adults and 1,030 Canadian adults, found that 77 percent of Canadians opposed the proposition, while just 15 percent supported it. Eight percent were unsure.
Meanwhile, 42 percent of Americans opposed the idea, 36 percent supported it, and 22 percent were unsure.
What People Are Saying
Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said: “There’s no point in going to Washington. As [former Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s treatment shows, all that results in is a crude attempt by Trump to humiliate his guests.”
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University, said: “President Trump’s aggressive talk about both Canada and Greenland and the apparent rapprochement between Russia, a strong Arctic power, and the United States under Trump have increased anxieties about our control over this remote yet highly strategic region.”
What Happens Next
With Trump’s policies galvanizing Canadian voters, Carney and his Liberal Party—once predicted to face a historic defeat—now see a potential political boost.
Whether Carney’s European diplomacy will help reshape Canada’s trade relationships and counteract Trump’s pressure remains to be seen.
