Canada does not live because of the US, Canada thrives because of the Canadians, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday, responding to US President Donald Trump’s humiliating nudge from the Davos stage when the world was celebrating Carney’s Davos speech. Speaking at the Citadelle of Quebec, Carney recounted Canada’s history and said Canada can show how diversity can be a strength, not a weakness, in a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism. “Canada cannot solve all the world’s problems. But we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion; it can still bend towards progress and justice,” he said. “In a time of rising walls and thickening borders, we can demonstrate how a country can be both open and secure, welcoming and strong, principled and powerful.” These were his first public comments after his Davos speech where he urged the countries to speak out against bullies — without naming the US. Carney presented Canada as a middle power and said powers like this should come together to resist coercion from great powers. Carney’s speech was met with a standing ovation in the room. Mexican and Australian officials directly praised him. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called it a “very good speech” that is “in tune with the current times,” while Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was a “stunning speech” that is being “widely shared and discussed” inside his government. Trump was not impressed by Carney’s Davos speech and a day after Carney’s speech, Trump said Canada should be grateful to the US for its economic and security partnerships. “They should be grateful to us, Canada, but they’re not. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” Trump said.
