September Trips to U.S. and UK
Speech to Council on Foreign Relations
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech to the New York City-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on September 22. CFR is a think tank influential among U.S. rulers. The speech focused on "Canada's foreign policy priorities and the new global economy." Canada, Carney said, despite being a "middle power" has what it takes to deal with an international situation where "the rules-based order is eroding, great-power rivalry is intensifying, and authoritarian models are hardening. [...] We prospered under the old system. And we were able to pursue a values-based foreign policy, based on or, anchored on a rules-based multilateral trading system, an open global financial system."
Carney described the changes taking place in the U.S. and to its foreign policy as a "rupture" from past arrangements. Canada must cast itself into the breach to fill the void left by the decline of U.S. influence and trustworthiness to give itself and others stability, he said. Canada "has what the world wants," he said.
"Take on the energy side. We are an energy superpower. That is going to become increasingly evident. Eighty-five percent of our energy is clean. We're one of the world's largest LNG [liquefied natural gas] exporters, one of the largest reserves of oil and gas. We measure additions to our grid in ten-gigawatt chunks, to put it in perspective, and you will see that with time. We are top five in ten of the world's most important critical minerals. Forty per cent of the world's listed mining companies are in Canada, to give a perspective there. We are a leading developer of AI. And our research universities are some of the biggest producers in volume of AI, computing, and quantum talent in the world. [...] We have capital. Our pension funds are some of if not THE most sophisticated infrastructure investors in the world [...] And we have a government that still has fiscal capacity to act decisively at a moment when governments need to act decisively," Carney added.
A real salesman for supranational
private interests if ever there was one.
Without saying so directly, Carney went on to talk about "shared values" (in contrast with those who do not share these "universal" or "Canadian values"). According to Carney, Canada can thrive in the present uncertain situation because it has "values to which much of the world – not all of the world; much of the world – still aspires. We're a pluralistic society that works. Our cities are amongst the most diverse in the world. Public square is loud, diverse, and free. By the nature of our federation, we have to practice collaboration and partnership. And it's a country that is still committed to sustainability."
A real white wash of the Carney government's agenda to expand police powers, violate rights and criminalize dissent while channelling the power of the state to pay the rich, militarize the economy and prepare for war. According to Carney, the changes brought in during his first four months in office are reasons why other countries should turn to Canada, or why businesses in the U.S. should stick with Canada in the face of "domestic uncertainty."
"We have removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. We have passed landmark legislation to fast-track literally hundreds of billions of dollars of projects in energy, in AI, in critical minerals, in new trade corridors. We are doubling our defence spending by 2030. Our core capabilities with respect to defence, AI, quantum, cyber, critical minerals provide unique opportunities for dual-use [civilian and military use] and economic benefit, and we intend to fully exploit those," Carney said.
"We are diversifying our trading relationships and our security partnerships. We signed the most comprehensive agreement with the European Union from a non-European Union member, the Economic and Security Partnership with the EU. We signed that at the end of June. We're working on fleshing that out now. [...] We are on track to be a full member of SAFE, the European defence arrangement, which allows us to diversify and accelerate our defence procurement."
Talking
about Arctic sovereignty in his speech, Carney said Canada is
"cooperating very closely with the Nordic-Baltic Eight for
physical
protection up there, economic development, and also defending
NATO's
western flank." This Arctic Foreign Policy is based on the U.S.
conception of a "North
American Arctic" that integrates and subordinates Canada's
Arctic and
Greenland into U.S. war aims, but still Carney claims that
Canada is
now independent of the U.S. war aims.
None of this reflects the concerns of the people of Canada, who want a government that defends their well-being and peaceful principled relations with other countries. Serving up Canada, its resources and people on a platter is not nation-building. It is nation-wrecking which will cause grave damage if Carney is permitted to have his way. It brings no honour to Canada's Prime Minister to act as a huckster offering for sale that to which he is not entitled.
This article was published in
Volume 55 Number 10 - October 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/M5501018.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca