What is the way the Canadian Prime Minister sees politics and what are his initial actions for?
When Canadian Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney began his 'honeymoon', it initially appeared to be a typical electoral campaign. However, the active outreach also seeks to influence external politics.
During March, Mark Carney visited numerous cities across the country in an effort to win over the electorate for the upcoming snap election. One of the more significant visits related to Arctic affairs occurred in Nunavut, where Carney announced a 'new' security project—Canada Unveils Joint Radar Missile-Detection Initiative with Australia. This was likely an attempt to attract publicity, as it is known that funding allocations for the project were prepared during Justin Trudeau's tenure in 2022.
In this way, Carney has reassured the electorate that 'sovereignty in the North' will remain intact.
One of the visits carried particular significance in the context of Canadian-American cooperation—Carney travelled to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. Notably, this town had hosted airline passengers stranded after the 9/11 attacks—a political gesture by Canada implying something along the lines of: "We are friends with the Americans, but not quite with the 47th American President." On March 24, The Guardian reported that Carney lamented "Canada’s lost friendship with the U.S."
Just four days later, however, on March 28, Carney and Trump held a phone call, which the Prime Minister described as 'cordial' and 'positive'. Since then, the rhetoric regarding the U.S. and Canada's 'tariff war' has softened on both sides, despite the continuation of tariffs.
It seems that the friendship between the two countries was regained in just four days. A press release from the Prime Minister's Office on 3 April stated, "While some important elements of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship have been preserved, new tariffs on automobiles have now entered into force." (our emphasis)
Despite efforts to mend relations with the U.S., the politician has also sought to strengthen ties with Canada's allies worldwide, taking several notable steps. First, as CBC reported, Canada 'raced to revive Commonwealth ties' via CANZUK cooperation (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK) and received a sign of favour from the UK (Britain Sends Royal Signals of Support for Canada).
Additionally, Carney reached out personally to other global leaders—the beginning of April featured phone calls with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
This demonstrates that Canada is attempting to strike a balance: on one hand, seeking reduced tension with the U.S., while on the other, exploring opportunities abroad. Notably, in terms of the trade crisis, the Liberal Party's choice of Prime Minister appears well-suited to the current situation—Carney previously served as Governor of the Bank of England during Brexit. George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK, described Mark Carney as 'street-smart' and the person with the most international experience in Canada.
All things considered, Mark Carney's 'honeymoon' campaign has so far aimed to achieve two objectives—domestic and foreign: to secure victory in the upcoming election and safeguard Canada's sovereignty, all while hoping the country will be 'spared' from new U.S. tariffs and the fate of becoming the 51st state, while balancing and reaching out further.
Given that Trump almost christened Carney the Prime Minister-to-be and addressed him by his first name, it seems the political manoeuvring has played out well thus far, making the 51st state scenario increasingly unlikely.
Canada's actions are observed by the whole world. For example, Norwegian NRK quotes Trump saying that there is an 'artificial border' between Canada and the U.S., yet presents the other side of the situation by saying that "Canadians and Canadian politicians strongly distance themselves from Trump's statement that Canada should become part of the United States, and have responded that the country is not for sale."
As for the tariffs, while the Canadian government presents the situation as a firm response to measures from the U.S., satisfaction at avoiding greater threats shows through the lines. Carney's Canada seeks to keep balance.
The Editorial Board of the Arctic Century
Also read the publication:
The Arctic Decade of Change
