Canada’s Carney sends a message to Trump as he chooses Europe for first foreign trip as PM

By Christian Edwards and Hira Humayun, CNN

(CNN) — Mark Carney, Canada’s new prime minister, broke with tradition on Monday by visiting Europe rather than the United States for his first foreign trip as the country’s leader, with his warm welcome in France and the UK standing in stark contrast to his country’s fracturing relationship with its southern neighbor.

Carney was welcomed to Paris by a cheerful President Emmanuel Macron before arriving in London where he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and had a private audience with King Charles III, who is both Britain and Canada’s head of state.

Switching between French and English at a joint news conference at the Élysée Palace, Carney – who took office on Friday and is known to many European leaders for his years as a central banker – told Macron that Canada is “the most European of non-European countries” and promised to be a “reliable, trustworthy and strong partner” to Paris.

Macron praised Canada for standing “side-by-side” with France and Europe, saying of Carney: “We’re welcoming a friend, and we’re receiving you with a lot of joy.”

Carney’s amicable reception in Europe comes while Canada’s relations with the United States are at a nadir in modern times – pushing Canada to think about reshaping its alliances. Since returning to the White House, Trump has slapped punishing tariffs on Canada’s economy, said the country should become America’s 51st state and routinely belittled Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau before he stepped down by referring to him as “governor” rather than “prime minister.”

Speaking following his meeting with King Charles, Carney described Trump’s plan to annex Canada as “unthinkable” and “disrespectful” and said the US president needed to stop such comments “before we sit down and have a conversation about our broader partnership.”

He also disclosed that the country was reconsidering whether to purchase US-supplied F-35 jets, and said he had spoken with both UK and French officials about deepening security, military and economic ties.

However, he also signaled a readiness to talk with Washington, saying Canada wanted to talk about the two nations’ “overall commercial and security relationship.”

“When the United States is ready to have that conversation, we’re more than ready to sit down,” Carney said in London.

Boosted by Trump threats

Carney – who has never before held public office in Canada – will lead the Liberal Party into the country’s next federal election, to be held later this year.

Before Trump returned to power, Canada’s Liberals – in power for nearly a decade – appeared bereft of energy and ideas, with polls showing them on track for a heavy defeat to the Conservatives, led by the firebrand Pierre Poilievre.

But Trump’s threats toward Canada’s economy and sovereignty have stirred an extraordinary revival of the Liberals and will make the election far more competitive than it seemed set to be just weeks ago.

Since Friday, Carney has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Russia’s war in Ukraine, and with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about Brussels’ plans to fund Europe’s rearmament in the face of dwindling and uncertain US military support.

At Monday’s news conference in Paris, Carney lauded Macron as a “man of action” who has helped steer the continent during its security crisis.

“In the midst of a crisis one must act. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of an economic and geopolitical crisis. But when you take action you have to have values: sovereignty, solidarity, dynamism and sustainability. These values are close to our hearts,” Carney said.

In London, Carney said he had invited Zelensky to the G7 summit that Canada is hosting in Alberta this year.

Carney is a familiar face to many in the United Kingdom, having served as governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, overseeing its protracted recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and leaving on the cusp of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During that time, Carney was criticized by some – particularly on the right – for warning repeatedly that leaving the European Union would damage Britain’s economy.

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CNN’s Max Foster and Max Saltman contributed reporting.