‘Canada thrives because we are Canadian’: Carney pushes back on Trump’s remarks

Following his speech in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed Canadians in a similar fashion today.

Carney and his cabinet kicked off a retreat in Quebec City where discussions are being held on where the country is heading economically.

Throughout today’s speech, Carney did not directly address U.S. President Donald Trump until the very end.

“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” said Carney.

Carney received another applause at the end of a pivotal speech today in response to a verbal exchange with Trump in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security and in rich cultural exchange,” said Carney.

Kicking off the cabinet retreat, the prime minister says staying true to Canada’s values is key to maintaining its sovereignty, and its principles must be defended as authoritarianism reaches global levels.

This comes after Carney called for middling powers to join forces at the World Economic Forum, a speech that irked Trump.

“Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also, but they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful. Canada lives because of the United States, remember that,” said Trump.

WATCH MORE: Carney speech draws sharp response from Trump at World Economic Forum

Both leaders did not speak with each other this week. The spat centres around the White House’s economic trade war against allies and its desire to take over Greenland – an objective Trump inched closer to after agreeing on a framework with NATO to develop a future deal in the Arctic.

Meanwhile, a revamped partnership between Canada and the U.S. remains in limbo. Trump’s commerce secretary Howard Lutnick called Carney’s European address “political noise” and blasted the prime minister’s dealings with China.

“We’re focused on doing for ourselves what we can in this time of volatility, in this time of change. But we’re also keen to continue to have a very productive relationship with the United States. We’re your biggest customer. We buy more from you than any country in the world,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S.

Back in Canada, Carney and his cabinet are expected to hear from experts in government, finance, community services, advanced technology and global affairs during the two-day retreat.

“The first set of priorities are going to be domestically-driven. Where are we on the economy? What are our key points of concern,” said Jane Boulden, political science professor from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Boulden says despite efforts to boost Canadian economic drivers, Carney should also prioritize investment in the military.

“We have the potential to be up there with everybody else, but we have to start moving on that the way we have been doing with defence spending now as well,” said Boulden.

Once Carney’s cabinet wraps up their retreat tomorrow, Parliament is set to return on Monday. The prime minister is expected to face challenges from the opposition regarding what actions he will take tied to the messages in his speeches.

WATCH MORE: Canada stands ‘firmly’ with Greenland, rejects tariffs over Danish territory: Carney