Carney ends cabinet meeting without answering questions about Trump

QUEBEC CITY — Prime Minister Mark Carney ended a two-day meeting at a military fortress with his ministers without directly addressing U.S. President Donald Trump’s

most recent claim on NATO countries’ contribution in the war in Afghanistan.

Carney was set to answer questions from the media Friday afternoon, but his team abruptly cancelled the availability as it was supposed to begin for “scheduling” reasons.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne answered questions in his place.

“I will say that we all know the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform during the war in Afghanistan, and Canadians are very proud of their service. Canadians are very grateful for their service,” he said. “You cannot rewrite history.”

In the evening, Carney’s office sent out a written statement saying that their “service and their sacrifice can never be diminished.” Spokeswoman Laura Scaffidi did not address Trump’s latest claims.

During an interview with Fox News in Davos on Thursday, Trump said that NATO allies had “stayed a little back” from the frontlines in the war in Afghanistan.

“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them,” he said. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

A member of the Canadian Armed Forces watched TV inside the Citadelle as British Prime Minister Kier Starmer called those comments “insulting, and frankly, appalling.” On the walls were hung the pictures of some of his colleagues who were killed in Kandahar.

In fact, the Trump administration’s commentary overshadowed most of Carney’s cabinet retreat which saw him and his ministers huddled inside the thick stone walls of the Citadelle of Quebec to plan for the upcoming parliamentary session.

On Thursday evening, as Carney was leaving his meeting, he was asked by a reporter about his talks with Trump.

“Oh, that’s the most 
boring
 
question
. Think of a new one,” he
 said before dodging further questions. 

And as his cabinet members were trekking through the snow in Quebec City’s icy weather on Friday morning, they were assailed by questions about Trump’s decision to

rescind Carney’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace”

to help with the peace in Gaza.

“Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand declined to comment directly on Trump’s decision to exclude Carney, only saying that Canada would continue helping the residents of Gaza.

“Our values have been clear,” she said on Friday. “Hamas should have no role in the future governance of Palestine. Hamas must demilitarize and disarm. There must be a ceasefire, and Israelis and Palestinians must be able to live in peace and security side by side.”

Anand said that the Canadian government have already put on the table approximately $400 million in humanitarian aid. “That has been a priority of mine and ours in this government, and we will continue with that process, without question,” she said.

Carney had

reportedly accepted a role on Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace”

last week, according to a government official, but grew more cautious as the days went by after it was revealed that the U.S. President would ask for a membership fee of $1 billion US.

The initiative sparked further concern after it appeared that Trump would be willing to expand its mandate to other global conflicts, and that the board would seek to replace the United Nations. When asked if that would be the case, Trump said: “It might.”

Trump’s latest snub seemingly marks an escalation of the tensions between Canada and the U.S. after Carney offered

a widely praised speech at the World Economic Forum.

On Tuesday, Carney declared to the audience that the old “rules-based international order” was dead and exhorted countries to speak out against bullies and “hegemons.” He, however, did not single out Trump or any other world leaders by name.

The later after, Trump told the Davos crowd that Canada — and its prime minister — should be “grateful” to its southern neighbour. “They should be grateful to us, Canada — but they’re not. Canada lives because of the United States,” he said.

“Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

On Thursday, Carney delivered a speech in Quebec City meant for a domestic audience but added a last-minute rebuttal to Trump that did not figure in his prepared remarks.

“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security and in enriched cultural exchanges,” Carney said. “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

And, this week, at least one member of the Trump administration publicly weighed in that a part of Canada would be better off separating and joining the U.S.

Speaking to right-wing U.S. podcaster Jack Posobiec, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lauded Alberta as a “wealth of natural resources” but falsely claimed that the federal government would not let the province build a pipeline to the West Coast.

In fact, Alberta has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Ottawa that would pave the way for a pipeline to be built if there is a private proponent for the project.

“I think we should let them come down into the U.S.,” Bessent said.

“Alberta is a natural partner for the U.S. They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people.” Rumour (is) that they might have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not… People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got.”

Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, said it is a “difficult world” right now and that “some folks are going to try to exacerbate clivages.”

“We understand that the job is to continue to invest in Canadians, to give them the opportunities, because this is the best place to live, to invest and to thrive, and that is the case that we’ve got to make economically every day,” he said.

As Carney and his ministers emerge from the fortress, which was notably built in the early 19th century to resist an American invasion, to make their way into the biting cold that will follow them to Ottawa, that is the message that they will want to promote.

But Trump or members of his administration might, once again, derail their plans.

• Pierre Poilievre: Carney’s Davos speech highlights that it is Liberal rhetoric that doesn’t match reality
• Bluster, tariffs and a quiet retreat: Why Trump made a U-turn on Greenland

National Post

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