Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference after a cabinet meeting to discuss both trade negotiations with the Unite States and the situation in the Middle East, at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 30, 2025. Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images
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 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 as 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,” Carney said. “So we needed the rupture, we needed the shock, it seems, in order to do them.”
Carney’s comments come in the wake of the June passage 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 85 percent of Canada’s energy is “clean” and it 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. Carney referenced deeper engagement with Asia, support for Ukraine, and collaboration with Nordic and Baltic states to back Arctic sovereignty against Russia as examples.
Carney 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 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 CFR 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, which he had previously announced at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21.