Carney Says Trump Has Done Canada a ‘Favour,’ Forced Country to Make Key Changes

Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump has done Canada a “favour” by forcing Ottawa to become more focused on growing the country’s economy and seeking ways to become more self-sufficient.

Carney made the comments while addressing the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) think tank before attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 22. He said his government is helping advance major projects through new legislation, reduce interprovincial trade barriers, build more homes, increase defence spending, and expand trade relationships in Europe, saying these are examples of positive developments that have occurred amid trade disputes with the United States.

“We’ve been done a favour, because … all of these things, we could have done before, ourselves. So, we needed the rupture, we needed the shock, it seems, in order to do them,” Carney said.

Carney’s comments come in the wake of the passage in June of the One Canadian Economy Act, which proposes to fast-track approval for projects deemed in the national interest.

Carney said Canada’s three top strengths are its energy, its values, and its determination to meet current economic challenges, noting that 85 percent of Canada’s energy is “clean” and that the country has vast oil and gas reserves along with growing exports of LNG. He also described Canada as a top player in critical minerals as well as a leader in AI and quantum computing research.

“We are doubling our defence spending by 2030, our core capabilities with respect to defence, AI, quantum cyber. Critical minerals provide unique opportunities for dual use and economic benefit, and we intend to fully exploit those,” he said.

Carney added that Canada’s values and pluralistic society make it part of a powerful global bloc that supports democracy and human rights. The prime minister referenced deeper engagement with Asia, support for Ukraine, and collaboration with the Nordic and Baltic states to back Arctic sovereignty against Russia as examples.

He has softened his tone on the U.S. president since winning the election, including calling him “transformational” on some issues such as dealing with China. Carney ran his recent election campaign focused on standing up to the Trump presidency with an “elbows up” slogan borrowed from hockey.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismisses the Liberal government’s comments on its accomplishments, saying that the government is still maintaining a number of pieces of legislation, such as the Impact Assessment Act, that add regulatory burden to major projects, and that the country’s economy is lagging. He also dismissed the Liberals’ touting of the new deals, saying they’re not achieving much.

“Mark Carney’s globe-trotting and meaningless stacks of paper accomplish nothing,” he said on X on Sept. 22.

Carney’s remarks at the CFR think tank included a sit-down discussion with CFR President Michael Froman, where he expressed support for a package of secondary sanctions on Russia and reiterated Canada’s support for a Palestinian state. Canada, along with Australia, the UK, and Portugal had announced at the U.N. General Assembly a day earlier, on Sept. 21, their formal recognition of the State of Palestine.