Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he did not retract any elements of his provocative speech at the World Economic Forum in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, contrary to what U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has alleged.
“To be absolutely clear – and I said this to the President – I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney told reporters today.
Steven Chase reports that Bessent, speaking to Fox News on Monday, alleged that during a call with Trump, the Prime Minister was “very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos.”
The federal government has been working to contain a rift with the White House after Carney delivered a speech last week in Davos, Switzerland, which amounted to a veiled criticism of the U.S. President, blaming him for rupturing the international rules-based order.
During the speech, Carney called for middle powers to “stop pretending” the international order is still functioning and instead build coalitions to survive in a new era where major powers prey on smaller countries to take what they want.
The Prime Minister urged countries to start publicly condemning economic coercion, even when practised by an ally, in another clear reference to the U.S.
Carney says he told Trump he meant what he said during his speech at the World Economic Forum and it was about responding to a broader set of issues.
“The old order is not coming back,” he said.
Speaking to reporters today, Carney said the U.S. President called him on Monday to talk.
“We had a very good conversation on a wide range of subjects, ranging from the situation in Ukraine, Venezuela and Arctic security,” Carney said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes remarks at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the National Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa on Tuesday.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Former federal Liberal cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan dies after battle with cancer: Duncan, elected five times as the Liberal MP for the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North, had made public her multiple operations, radiation and chemotherapy to treat her cancer since she was diagnosed in 2023.
Canada looks to boost energy trade with India in bid to curb U.S. dependence: Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told the Indian Energy Week conference today that the fastest growing demand for energy in the world will be in India, and Canada could supply the country with crude oil, liquefied natural gas and uranium.
National child-care program expected to miss target, report says: The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the national child-care program that promised to reduce fees to about $10 a day by this spring is expected to be approximately 90,000 spaces short of its target.
Immigration Department on alert for asylum claims during World Cup: The department is scrutinizing visa applications from soccer fans planning to attend the event to prevent people from entering Canada with the aim of claiming asylum.
Coast Guard patrol vessel headed to Greenland for opening of new consulate, Anita Anand says: The Foreign Affairs Minister said Canada’s “principled pragmatism” in foreign policy will be on full display next week in Greenland when she opens Canada’s new consulate there with Inuit representatives attending and a coast guard vessel in the background.
MP quits city council post he held while serving in Commons: Nearly nine months after being elected federally, Conservative MP Chak Au is leaving his other job as a municipal councilor in Richmond, B.C., on Feb. 1.
Canada’s tax system puts low-income working seniors at a disadvantage, report finds: The Montreal Economic Institute is, as a result, recommending the federal government overhaul how the Guaranteed Income Supplement, a benefit for this group of individuals, is clawed back.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: In Ottawa, Mark Carney chaired a cabinet meeting and delivered remarks at a ceremony to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He attended Question Period and was also scheduled to meet with Nunavut Premier John Main and, later, Team Canada Olympic hockey players.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet attended Question Period. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony. Later, he spoke in the House of Canada on his party’s proposed Canadian Sovereignty Act and attended Question Period. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also attended the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony and was scheduled to attend the Commons’ Speaker’s annual Robbie Burns Dinner. No schedule released for Interim NDP Leader Don Davies.
Ministers on the Road: Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is in India through to Friday, with stops in Goa, where he participated in the India Energy Week 2026 conference, and in New Delhi.
Governor General’s History Awards: Mary Simon presented the honours for notable work in history and heritage to 2025 recipients during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
Quote of the Day
“I said this to the President: I meant what I said in Davos“ – Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking to journalists ahead of a cabinet meeting today, recounting a call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Question period
What enduring Canada-U.S. body arose from an agreement that Prime Minister Mackenzie King and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed in Ogdensburg, N.Y., on Aug. 18, 1940.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The Carney Liberals find bad habits are hard to break
And that is where the Carney government continues in the irresponsible fiscal path trod by Mr. Trudeau: Announcing benefits without figuring out how to pay for them. Higher Old Age Security payments, dental benefits, pharmacare, school lunches and, now, higher GST credits. There are arguments for most of those (the OAS payments are an exception). But they can’t be paid for with more borrowed money.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Canada prepares to go it alone on critical issues, a financial crimes agency is key
The future Canadian Financial Crimes Agency will face tremendous challenges from the threat environment and from structural issues in this country. In addition to the threats outlined above, the agency will have to spend considerable resources to avoid conflict with other departments, the RCMP and other police forces. It will also need to engage in horizontal co-ordination across the 13 federal departments and agencies responsible for Canada’s anti-money laundering regime, as well as with provinces and territories.
— Jessica Davis is the president of Insight Threat Intelligence and the author of Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century. She was consulted by the government of Canada on the development of a new financial crimes agency.
What Mark Carney got right, and wrong, about Vaclav Havel’s story
Mr. Carney is mostly right. But it’s important to understand what he’s right about, including the extent to which Havel’s situation applies to our own – and the many ways it does not.
— Tony Keller, Columnist
Go deeper
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Get the latest insight and analysis from our political opinion writers
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
The answer to today’s question: The leaders signed an agreement creating the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, a Canadian-American advisory board to oversee the defence of both countries. It still exists.