Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney denied a claim by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that he walked back his speech at the World Economic Forum denouncing US global leadership in a subsequent call with President Donald Trump. Last week, Carney’s speech in Davos highlighted concerns over what he saw as a weakening of the rules-based international order led by the United States for decades. He urged middle powers to break their reliance on US economic influence, which Washington was using partly as “coercion.”
Carney’s remarks were particularly contentious with Trump, who had earlier told Carney that Canada “lives because of the United States.” In a Monday interview with Fox News, Bessent suggested that Carney backtracked from his initial comments in Davos. However, Carney countered this in Ottawa on Tuesday, stating that Scott Bessent was incorrect and reaffirming that he had meant what he said at Davos.
Carney emphasized Canada’s role as one of the first countries to recognize changes in US trade policy initiated by Trump and responded accordingly. He also clarified that the call with Trump included discussions about Arctic security, Ukraine, and Venezuela.