US President Donald Trump has withdrawn his invitation for Canada to join the Board of Peace after Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against Trump’s assertion that Canada depends on the United States for its survival.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced the decision in a sharply worded message to the Canadian leader. “Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining what will be the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” he wrote.
The exchange follows a public war of words between the two leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week. During his address, Carney criticised what he described as a “rupture” in the US-led, rules-based global order. In response, Trump later claimed that Canada “lives because of the United States.”
Carney hit back during a national address in Quebec City on Thursday, stressing Canada’s independence while acknowledging the close ties between the two neighbours. “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” he said. He described the US-Canada relationship as a “remarkable partnership” but insisted that Canada’s success rests on its own institutions and values.
The prime minister went on to argue that Canada should be an example at a time of “democratic decline” globally. “Canada can’t solve all the world’s problems, but we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to bend toward authoritarianism and exclusion,” he said.
Earlier in Davos, Carney received a standing ovation after criticising what he called the contradictions in the international, rules-based order. He suggested that trade rules and international law have often been applied unevenly, depending on military and economic power.
“We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically,” Carney said. While acknowledging that American leadership had delivered benefits such as open sea lanes, financial stability and collective security, he argued that the gap between rhetoric and reality had become too wide. “This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct: we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.”
Trump later appeared to respond directly to those remarks in his own speech, singling out the Canadian leader. “I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” Trump said. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
The latest exchange underscores growing tensions between the two leaders, despite the historically close political and economic relationship between Washington and Ottawa.
