Mark Carney Interview: Canada’s Leader Lays Out Vision for Breaking Reliance on U.S.
In a wide-ranging interview, the Canadian leader laid out a detailed vision for breaking his country’s dependency on the United States.
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada during an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday. Credit... Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times
By Matina Stevis-Gridneff David E. Sanger Tyler Pager and Colby Smith
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said that he had prepared over the past year for the “extreme tail risk” that President Trump might order military action against Canada, but disclosed that the two men have spoken “frequently,” even since trade talks collapsed last month, describing a tense, evolving relationship.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times at its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Mr. Carney described in meticulous detail how he was systematically reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States for key technology — from space satellites to fighter jets — in an effort to make his country far less vulnerable to American threats. He outlined a plan to diversify Canada’s relationships and suppliers, and said that even with a different future president “we will be a better partner for the U.S. because of what we are doing.”
He talked about reducing reliance on Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite systems; considering alternatives to buying F-35 fighter jets; and a focus on deepening economic — though not defense — relationships with China. Mr. Trump’s exploitation of Canadian dependency on American products had taught the country a bitter lesson: “There’s certain things, once you’ve seen them, you can’t unsee them.”
