Prime Minister Mark Carney is forcefully rejecting claims from the United States administration suggesting he softened his recent remarks delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, Carney said his position has not changed following a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier in the week.
“To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president. I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney stated. “It was clear. It was a broader set of issues that Canada was the first country to understand the change in U.S. trade policy he had initiated, and we’re responding to that.”
Carney confirmed Trump placed the call on Monday and described the conversation as constructive. He said both leaders discussed a wide range of subjects and maintained a productive tone throughout the exchange.
The prime minister’s comments came after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed Carney had retreated from parts of his Davos speech during the call. Bessent made the remarks during a Monday night interview on Fox News’ Hannity program.
“I was in the Oval Office with the president today. He spoke to Prime Minister Carney, who was very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos,” Bessent said.
When pressed directly on Tuesday about the accusation, Carney offered a brief and direct response.
“No,” he said.
Carney’s Davos address drew significant international attention and praise. In the speech, he warned against major global powers using economic integration as a tool of coercion. He also argued the global economic order built over recent decades is unlikely to return in its previous form. The remarks did not reference Trump by name.
Trump responded publicly after the speech, asserting Canada depends on the United States for survival and issuing a pointed message directed at Carney.
“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” Trump said.
The tension escalated days later when Trump threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if Canada pursued deeper economic ties with China. The warning followed earlier comments from Trump praising Canada’s agreement with China. He also referred to Carney as “governor” in a public taunt.
Carney has since clarified Canada is not pursuing a free trade agreement with China and continues to defend an independent and strategic approach to global trade.
