Under fire from Trump, Canada’s Carney to build UK ties

MONTREAL: With Canada´s independence under threat, Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Britain next week to meet his British counterpart Keir Starmer and King Charles III.

According to a statement from Carney´s office, the former Bank of Canada and Bank of England chief will continue to London after talks on Monday in Paris with France´s President Emmanuel Macron.

The statement said Carney would seek to strengthen “two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships,” those with France and Britain. In recent weeks, Canada´s sovereignty has been repeatedly challenged by President Donald Trump, who has launched a trade war and threatened to annex the United States´ northern neighbour.

Canada has dismissed the US claim, but the issue is certain to dominate the upcoming election, which could be called within weeks.Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed Canada will never be a 51st American state and has called on Canada to present a united front to defend against United States President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on Canada’s economy and sovereignty.

Most Canadians are already on board. Provincial premiers have committed to defending against tariffs, and recent polling data shows 85 per cent of Canadians resolutely reject Trump’s threats of annexation. Yet, despite this widespread patriotism, some Canadians may have a relative or friend in the contrarian 10 per cent of citizens who welcome annexation.