Mark Carney has been widely applauded online following a powerful public address.
Over the past year, Donald Trump and his administration have generated significant controversy during his second term in the White House. While Trump has long been associated with bold and unconventional decisions, his recent actions have increasingly irritated and strained relationships with some of America’s closest allies.
Amid this tense international climate, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew praise for confronting the growing friction between the United States and its global partners during a speech at the World Economic Forum. His remarks clearly resonated with the audience, earning him a rare standing ovation.
Although he did not mention Trump by name, Carney directly referenced recent U.S. behavior, including trade tariffs and calls for the annexation of Greenland.
During his speech, he stated:
“Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.
“Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration.
“But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.
“You cannot ‘live within the lie’ of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.
“The multilateral institutions on which middle powers have relied — the WTO, the UN, the COP — the very architecture of collective problem solving, are under threat.
“And as a result, many countries are drawing the same conclusions — that they must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains.”