Trump’s rhetoric rallies Canadian support for Prime Minister Mark Carney

OTTAWA – Renewed verbal attacks from US President Donald Trump are prompting Canadians to rally behind Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who earned a rare standing ovation in Davos for openly decrying powerful nations using economic integration as weapons and tariffs as leverage.

In his speech, Mr Carney called on nations to accept that a rules-based global order was over and pointed to Canada as an example of how “middle powers” might act together to avoid being victimised by American hegemony.

“When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,” he said. “Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”

In response, Mr Trump retorted that Canada “lives because of the United States” and told the crowd in Davos that Mr Carney should be grateful for the US’ previous largesse, addressing the Prime Minister directly: “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

A day earlier, Mr Trump had posted an artificial intelligence-generated photo of Canada and Greenland draped in the US flag on Truth Social. 

A well-received Davos speech capped an eventful overseas trip for Mr Carney, who last week struck a trade deal with China and sought new partnerships in the Middle East aimed at reducing his country’s overwhelming economic reliance on the US. 

“Canadians will feel a sense of pride – and possibly some concern – because our Prime Minister has been so blunt,” said Dr Laura Stephenson, a political science professor at the University of Western Ontario.

“Carney is displaying courage by saying these things so publicly, and there will be pride that the global reception to his speech has been largely positive.”    

Articulating a different world view

Dr Stephenson said Mr Carney’s speech – written by the Prime Minister himself, according to his office – will resonate with Canadians, though their response may vary depending on whether or not their jobs are tied to US trade.

“If you’re going to be personally impacted by CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), you might be very upset and fearful about what might happen next,” she said, referring to the trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico that is up for review in 2026.

Despite the tough rhetoric, Mr Carney has yet to broker a trade deal with the US, and his “elbows up” approach to the US has somewhat faded. For example, he dropped a digital services tax to restart trade negotiations with the US and apologised for a Canadian advertisement that angered Mr Trump.

On the snowy streets of Toronto, retired race walker Ann Peel said Mr Trump’s escalating rhetoric about annexing Canada left her “deeply concerned” about the possibility of aggression.

She called Mr Trump “a big bully” and said Mr Carney’s speech was powerful because it articulated a fundamentally different world view than that of the US.

“We’re very values-based,” she said. “Canadians, as a people, stand proud. We’re not just going to roll over because the United States wants us to.”

Since Mr Trump first started threatening to make Canada the 51st state of the US shortly after winning the 2024 election, Canadians have dramatically cut travel to the US, boycotted American booze and prioritised buying Canadian goods.

Carney enjoys strong support at home

Mr Jonathan Kalles, a former senior adviser to former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, said he was struck by the support for Mr Carney’s speech from across the political spectrum, including some Conservatives. 

Most polls show Mr Carney’s approval rating holding above 50 per cent since he came to power in April in 2025, and recent data from Nanos Research shows Mr Carney with a 22-point lead over Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Mr Carney’s Liberal party reversed a nearly 30-point lead held by the Conservatives to win 2025’s federal election after Mr Trump started threatening Canada’s sovereignty.   

Mr James Moore, a former minister of industry under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper posted a clip of Mr Carney’s speech while calling for people to “put down your partisan swords today and take a moment and listen to this speech”.

Ms Michelle Rempel Garner, a Conservative MP from Alberta, wrote in the National Post newspaper that Mr Carney’s speech “rightly named the hard realities of a fractured geopolitical system and the urgent need for middle powers like Canada to step up with resolve and realism” and called on him to follow through with action. 

Dr Jack Cunningham, a professor of international relations at the University of Toronto, said Canadians responded overwhelmingly to Mr Carney’s speech in part because the Prime Minister dared to press back against Mr Trump and appears to still command the US President’s respect. 

“For a long time, every other leader has tried to treat Trump as if he were a difficult grandfather you had to manage,” Mr Cunningham said.

“There’s a sense of pride among Canadians that Carney is the leader who has been able to confront Trump... We just hope now that we’re no longer alone.” REUTERS