Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered an economic pep talk to the country on Sunday, using social media to make a direct appeal to Canadians frustrated by Ottawa’s deteriorating trade relationship with the United States.
Canada’s close ties to the U.S. have become “weaknesses” that must be corrected, Mr. Carney said in a 10-minute video message released on YouTube. While he never mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump by name, the Prime Minister said the U.S. “has changed and we must respond.”
“We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbours. We can’t bet our future in the hope that it will suddenly stop. But we can control what happens here,” he added.
Mr. Carney released the video two days after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the current North American trade agreement a “bad deal” for Americans that may be allowed to “lapse” this summer.
Mr. Lutnick slammed Mr. Carney for trying to lessen Canada’s dependence on the U.S. by striking trade deals with China. He said it was “nuts” for Mr. Carney to let Chinese auto makers sell electric vehicles in Canada. The salvo was the latest in a series of critiques of Canadian trade policy from the U.S. president and members of his administration.
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But Mr. Carney’s video message pushed back on those broadsides, relying on a direct-to-camera format that appeared designed to reassure. It was a new way of communicating with the public for the Prime Minister, who secured a majority government after by-elections last week and now faces the increased expectations that come with control of the House of Commons. He said the video would be the first in a series.
Deborah Yedlin, chief executive officer at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said, “Like any good leader, Carney is trying to manage expectations, particularly among those frustrated that he’s been unable to cut some sort of deal with Trump.”
“The video offered a measured explanation of the government’s strategy,” said Ms. Yedlin, who previously worked with Mr. Carney at Goldman Sachs & Co. “In part, it was a plea for patience.”
Mr. Carney said in the video that Canadian businesses are holding back on investments as a result of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Those tariffs threaten the jobs of workers in Canada’s auto, lumber and steel industries, he said.
In response, Canada is aiming to attract new investments and “strike new partnerships abroad, so we can sell into new markets,” he added, while the video displayed photos from his international trips.
“It’s about taking back control of our security, our borders and our future,” he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told Canadians in a video address Sunday that he will provide more regular updates on what the government is doing.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Last week, Royal Bank of Canada published a study showing just how much it will cost to retool the economy and lessen Canada’s dependence on the United States. The report, called the “Growth Project,” outlined an opportunity to invest $1.8-trillion over the next decade to make Canada a global leader in economic growth.
Realizing this potential requires a “step change” in government and corporate policies in key industries, including oil and gas, mining, electricity, agriculture, space and defence, the study said.
In his video, Mr. Carney took aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s recent remarks on U.S. trade relations, which stressed maintaining a “stable relationship” with Washington.
While not mentioning his political rival by name, Mr. Carney said: “There are some who say there’s no need for a comprehensive plan. They believe we should wait it out in the hope that the United States will return to normal, that the good old days will come back.”
“But hope isn’t a plan, and nostalgia is not the strategy,” said Mr. Carney.
He titled the video “Forward Guidance,” riffing off the briefings CEOs and central bankers routinely give. Mr. Carney did similar updates while serving as head of two central banks, in Canada and England, during periods of economic turmoil.
“It was designed to assure people that, however difficult the situation seemed on any given day, that we were acting, and importantly, that we would continue to act with overwhelming force against our problems until they were solved,” he said. “And that’s the spirit I’m talking to you about today.”
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The Prime Minister promised to “never sugar-coat” challenges.
Mr. Carney said that “there’s much forward guidance to be found in our shared history.”
He referenced Canada’s role fighting alongside the U.S. and other allies in past military conflicts, including on D-Day, where Canadians fought at Juno Beach in Normandy. He also mentioned past conflicts with the U.S., under British rule before the creation of Canada.
During the prerecorded address, Mr. Carney displayed a figurine of the British Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, which he keeps in his office. It was given to him by Canadian comedian Mike Myers during the general election campaign. In 1811, Gen. Brock was given responsibility for defending Upper Canada against the threat of a U.S. invasion.
During the War of 1812, he commanded a British force, with Indigenous warriors led by Shawnee leader Tecumseh, that crossed the border and intimidated American Brigadier-General William Hull into surrendering the fort and town of Detroit, despite being outnumbered.
Fen Osler Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor at Carleton University, and co-chair of its expert group on Canada-U.S. Relations, said Mr. Carney’s reference was symbolic.
“The tone, tenor and historical allusions in his speech are also sounding the tocsin for Canadians that we are in a battle for our own survival. And that it will not be easy and will involve sacrifice. Like FDR [Franklin D. Roosevelt], he is also signalling that he will be giving us fireside chats about the war for economic independence’s progress and likely setbacks.”
Mr. Carney also referred to Colonel Charles de Salaberry, who in 1813 drove back a U.S. force aiming to invade Lower Canada.
In his speech, Mr. Carney said young Canadians in particular have had their lives marked by shocks and crises from abroad, including the global financial crisis, the pandemic and now the current situation.
“We have to take care of ourselves, because we can’t rely on one foreign partner,” Mr. Carney said.
In a thinly veiled reference to Mr. Trump, he continued: “We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbours. We can’t bet our future in the hope that it will suddenly stop. But we can control what happens here.”
Mr. Carney said in a crisis, “fortune favours the bold,” adding that when united, Canadians can withstand anything.
Reacting to his comments, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, posted on social media Sunday, saying “one year later, we’re still waiting for the bold part.”
“PM Carney claims that his critics have no plan, and that’s not true,” she said in a video response, before listing Conservative policies including building homes and cutting taxes.