Carney and Trump met last year. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
key takeaways:
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to take issue with criticism of US President Donald Trump at the upcoming G7 summit in France amid trade tensions.
- The stakes are high as the USMCA review approaches on July 1, with more than 70% of Canada’s exports going to the US and Trump hinting at possible changes.
- Carney is balancing confrontation and diplomacy while negotiating with European leaders to diversify trade and reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States.
PARIS – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became a symbol of middle power resistance after a famous speech earlier this year, but he is expected to be more muted in his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump at an upcoming summit in Europe.
Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, helped make him an international political star in January, when he announced the end of the global rules-based order and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries. The Prime Minister received widespread praise and attention for his comments and he bested Trump in the House.
But the Group of Seven summit of industrialized democracies, starting June 15 in France, comes before a scheduled July 1 review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the latest iteration of the North American Free Trade Agreement that has linked the economies of the United States, Mexico and Canada since the early 1990s. This is a critical moment in trade talks, and Trump said this week he may not renew the deal.
Over 70% of Canada’s exports go to the US, so preserving the agreement is important for Canada.
Canadian historian Robert Bothwell said Trump is more of a problem for Carney than anyone else because we are more sensitive to the United States than anyone else.
Trump left for the G7 summit shortly after hosting UFC fights at the White House for his 80th birthday on June 14.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge was scheduled to open on June 15. (Gordie Howe International Bridge)
The summit will come as tensions are rising between Trump and Canada. One of the world’s most durable and cordial alliances – born of geography, heritage and centuries of common interests – has broken down, as seen in several recent examples of tension between the leaders.
A June 8 reception for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington was canceled at the last minute. Vic Fedeli, one of Ford’s ministers, said if Trump forced the chamber to rescind, “Ford should wear it as a badge of honor.”
Trump again said this week that America doesn’t need anything that Canada has. Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports over the next decade, saying Trump’s trade war is causing investment to decline.
In other developments, the opening of a major Canadian bridge over the Detroit River, which Trump had previously threatened to block, was delayed to June 11 due to unresolved issues.
Trump’s actions, including starting a trade war and suggesting Canada become the 51st US state, have enraged Canadians and set the political tone for Carney to win the job of prime minister after promising to take on Trump.
Trump administration officials continued to note that only two countries, China and Canada, retaliated against the US in the trade war. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says Canada’s retaliatory measures are a major issue in negotiations.
Daniel Belland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Carney appeared to soften his tone toward the Trump administration to avoid worsening relations.
“There is a clear tension between what Prime Minister Carney said in his Davos speech about standing up against the hegemony of middle powers and his effort to nudge the US administration ‘in the right direction’ with regard to the USMCA review and trade policy,” Belland said.
Carney downplayed Trump’s recent comments about becoming Canada’s 51st state.
Canada and Mexico want the USMCA to be renewed for another 16 years. Trump has considered withdrawing from this. Most likely it will remain subject to annual review for the next 10 years.
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Carney arrived in Paris on June 12 and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in the evening, a few days before the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.
The Prime Minister will also travel to Ireland this weekend to meet the Irish Prime Minister in an effort to diversify trade away from the US.
This is Carney’s ninth visit to Europe in the 15 months since becoming prime minister in March 2025.
“The United States will clearly remain Canada’s largest trading partner for the foreseeable future,” Belland said, calling this an inevitable reality that Carney should “keep in mind as he seeks to make Canada somewhat less dependent on trade with the United States.”
