With relations between Canada and the United States under strain, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government will look beyond Washington and work toward diversifying trade partnerships. Speaking ahead of a proposed visit to India in March, the Labour leader told Parliament that dealing with the United States under Donald Trump’s administration has become increasingly unpredictable, remarking that “nothing is normal” there anymore.
“The world has changed. Washington has changed. There is almost nothing normal in the United States now. That is the reality,” Carney said while addressing the House of Commons in French.
His remarks followed a forceful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he argued that the US-led rules-based international order was facing a serious break rather than a gradual shift. “Let me be clear. We are living through a rupture, not a transition. The old order is not returning,” Carney said during the summit.
Those comments drew backing from several Western allies and reportedly unsettled Washington. After a phone conversation with President Trump on Monday, Carney said he made it clear that he stood by every word he had spoken in Davos and had no intention of retreating from his position, countering claims from the White House that he was softening his stance.
“I told the President directly that I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney said in Ottawa, adding that Canada was among the first countries to recognise the shift in US trade policy and was responding accordingly.
India visit signals reset in ties
Carney is expected to travel to India in March as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral trade ties after more than two years of strained relations. Reports suggest the Canadian prime minister may visit New Delhi in the first week of March, shortly before India presents its Union Budget for 2026–27.
Since taking office, Carney has sought to mend ties with India, which had cooled during the tenure of former prime minister Justin Trudeau. Canada’s renewed outreach to New Delhi also comes at a time when India has concluded a major trade agreement with the European Union.
India, facing the impact of steep US tariffs, has also accelerated efforts to diversify its trade relationships and reduce dependence on Washington. Despite cordial ties between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump, New Delhi continues to face tariff threats linked to its relationship with Russia and its continued purchase of Russian oil.
