We Will Always Be Neighbours: Carney Says Canada Will Remain Key US Partner Despite Trump Tariffs

Canada will remain the United States’ most important partner in several key areas despite escalating trade tensions under President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, as Ottawa simultaneously steps up efforts to diversify its economic and security partnerships.

Carney made the remarks at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto on Tuesday, hours after the Trump administration imposed new tariffs on Canadian goods.

“We will always be neighbours, and Canada will continue to be the US’s most important partner in many key areas,” Carney said. He added that the two countries had maintained deep ties even during periods of disagreement.

“These arrangements work when we engage as true partners that respect each other’s traditions and sovereignty,” he said.

Carney’s comments came as Canada’s relationship with Washington faces renewed pressure. The US and Canada have been engaged in a prolonged tariff dispute, with Ottawa arguing that American trade measures threaten Canadian businesses and economic stability. Canada suspended formal trade negotiations with Washington in August after rejecting what it described as unacceptable US terms.

But Carney is also pursuing a broader strategy to reduce Canada’s dependence on the US. He told investors that Ottawa wants to catalyse C$1 trillion in investment over the next five years, focusing on energy, transportation, defence, data infrastructure and other strategic sectors.

Canada is also seeking new markets. Carney said Canadian businesses currently have preferential access to about 1.5 billion consumers, with Ottawa planning to double that figure through new trade agreements involving regions including ASEAN and India.

The push has gained major momentum in Europe. On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was prepared to explore making Canada its first “associate member”, a proposed status that could expand cooperation in defence, technology, artificial intelligence, energy, critical minerals and Arctic development. The concept is new and would require further negotiations and approval.

Carney is visiting Europe this week to pursue what he has called a “unique alliance” with the EU. He is also scheduled to address the European Parliament, becoming the first foreign leader to attend the European Commission president’s State of the Union address. Canada has already joined the EU’s €150 billion SAFE defence procurement programme, making it the initiative’s first non-European participant.

Carney has framed the strategy as a move towards greater strategic autonomy, rather than abandoning the US. He said economic integration was increasingly being used as leverage and that supply chains could become vulnerabilities.

At the investment summit, he also highlighted plans for a new Pacific pipeline capable of carrying at least one million barrels of Alberta oil per day to Asian markets, alongside expanded LNG, nuclear power and critical-minerals projects.