Carney leaves Davos without meeting Trump after blunt warning on global order
Mark Carney left the World Economic Forum in Davos without meeting Donald Trump after a speech blaming the U.S. president, without naming him, for rupturing the rules-based order.
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By Torontoer Staff
Mark Carney left Davos on Wednesday without meeting U.S. President Donald Trump after delivering a high-profile address to the World Economic Forum that blamed the United States, without naming it, for rupturing the rules-based international order. Carney’s office said there were no plans for a meeting with Trump as he departed.
Carney gave the speech on Tuesday to a packed forum and received a standing ovation after urging middle powers to stop pretending the old rules still hold, and to begin building coalitions to protect smaller countries from economic coercion.
What he told Davos
Carney said that the postwar order, which relied on predictable rules and mutual restraint, is no longer returning. He called for countries to publicly condemn economic coercion, even when it comes from allies, and to form practical coalitions that can defend shared interests in a more volatile era.
The old order is not coming back.
Mark Carney
The speech landed days after President Trump made unusually explicit comments about acquiring Greenland and threatening tariffs on European allies and Britain. Carney did not name the U.S. president, but his references to great powers preying on smaller countries were widely read as aimed at Washington.
No face-to-face with Trump
Carney left Davos for Zurich around 8 a.m. Eastern, roughly the same time Trump arrived to deliver his own address. The Canadian delegation, officials said, had no scheduled meeting with the president. Instead, they returned to focus on domestic and regional priorities.
Parliament’s resuming on Monday. We have our cabinet retreat, and there’s things that we’ve got to take care of for Canadians. I think what we wanted to do here in Davos, we accomplished that.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu
In his Davos remarks, Trump singled out Carney, calling his speech ungrateful and asserting that Canada ‘‘lives because of the United States.’’ Trump repeated his insistence that the U.S. should have control over Greenland and criticised Carney’s tone toward the United States.
Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful. But they’re not. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.
Donald Trump
Who Carney met in Davos
Carney used his time in Davos for meetings with corporate and financial leaders, and for discussions on trade diversification and economic strategy. His office listed several private-sector meetings that took place during the forum.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook
- Executives from Tata Sons
- André Hoffmann, vice-chairman of Roche Holding
- Representatives from Norway’s Equinor
- Swedish banker and industrialist Marcus Wallenberg
Trade diversification and next steps
Ottawa framed the Davos trip as part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on a single market. More than 75 per cent of Canadian exports still flow to the United States, and talks are under way to prepare for a review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that could revive U.S. demands for renegotiation.
Officials signalled a push to deepen ties with other large economies. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said negotiations for a trade deal with India will begin in February, pointing to India’s growth and demand for food and energy as potential opportunities for Canadian exporters.
Diplomatic strain and disputed security issues
The trip comes after a tense period in Canada's relations with other countries. Ottawa recently accused foreign agents of violent activity on Canadian soil in the killing of a Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and expelled diplomats after alleging links to criminal acts. Those accusations have strained ties with New Delhi, even as Ottawa says it will pursue pragmatic economic engagement.
Carney’s message at Davos, and Ottawa’s emphasis on diversification, reflects an attempt to balance principled stances with economic priorities as the government reassesses which partnerships to pursue more aggressively.
What to watch next
Expect renewed attention on the Canada-U.S. trade relationship as the USMCA review approaches, and on the launch of trade negotiations with India in February. Diplomacy will likely remain on a pragmatic footing, with officials emphasising economic opportunity while managing ongoing security and human-rights concerns.
Carney left Davos having pushed an argument about the fragility of the postwar order and the need for middle powers to build practical coalitions. He and other Canadian officials now return to Ottawa to translate that rhetoric into policy priorities and diplomatic moves.
DavosMark CarneyDonald TrumpWorld Economic ForumtradeCanada
