Carney denies walking back Davos speech in phone call with Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Defends Davos Remarks Amid US Trade Tensions
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed his stance on Tuesday, clarifying that he remains fully committed to his remarks made at the Davos economic forum. These comments had previously drawn criticism from a Trump administration official, who claimed Carney had “aggressively” softened his position during a phone call with US President Donald Trump.
Davos Speech and Trump’s Response
Carney’s Davos speech had generated significant global attention, as he indirectly criticized the US president for causing a “rupture” in the postwar international order. In response, Trump delivered his own address at Davos the following day, asserting that “Canada lives because of the United States.”
“To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president, I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney stated, confirming that he and Trump had spoken by phone.
During a Monday interview with Fox News, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Carney of “very aggressively walking back” some of his remarks to Trump. Bessent also expressed concerns about Canada’s trade deal with China, questioning Carney’s decision.
“Canada depends on the US,” Bessent said. “There’s much more north-south trade then there could ever be east-west trade.” “The prime minister should do what’s best for the Canadian people rather than try to push his globalist agenda,” the treasury secretary added.
Carney denied Bessent’s account of the phone call, stating that Trump had initiated the conversation on Monday. He emphasized that the discussion covered a wide range of topics, including Ukraine, Venezuela, Arctic security, and Canada’s trade agreement with China. The two also addressed the USMCA, a free-trade pact between Canada, the US, and Mexico, which is set for a mandatory review later this year.
“The president is a strong negotiator, and I think some of these comments and positioning should be viewed in the broader context of that,” Carney remarked.
Tariff Threat and Trade Deal Details
Trump had previously threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if China’s products were allowed to flow freely into the US. The trade deal between Ottawa and Beijing aims to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola oil from 85% to 15% by March, while Canada will apply a limited tax on Chinese electric vehicles at the most-favoured-nation rate of 6.1%—a decrease from 100%.
“Canada is not pursuing a free-trade deal with China and has ‘never’ considered it,” Carney clarified, noting that the deal was part of ongoing negotiations.
