Carney Defies Trump Administration Claims on Davos Speech Walkback

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has firmly rejected claims from the Trump administration that he walked back his controversial speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos during a Monday phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump."To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president, I meant what I said in Davos," Carney told reporters Tuesday before entering a cabinet meeting. When asked directly if he had retracted his comments, Carney responded with a definitive "no."The dispute centers on Carney's speech to global leaders last week, where he argued that the U.S.-led international order is ending and that middle powers like Canada must unite or risk being dominated by great powers. Without naming Trump specifically, Carney warned that "great powers" are weaponizing economic integration and that middle powers cannot afford to negotiate bilaterally with hegemons from positions of weakness.U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent contradicted Carney's account during an appearance on Fox News Monday evening, claiming he witnessed the Canadian leader "very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos" during the 30-minute call with Trump.According to Carney, the conversation covered a broad range of topics including Arctic security, Ukraine, and Venezuela. The Canadian leader said he emphasized Canada's "positive response" to Trump's trade policies and highlighted his government's diplomatic achievements, including "12 new deals on four continents in six months," which he claimed impressed the U.S. president.The conflicting accounts highlight the delicate diplomatic balance Canada faces as it navigates relations with an increasingly assertive Trump administration. Carney's original Davos speech had argued that "in a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice: to compete with each other for favour, or to combine to create a third path with impact."Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong criticized the lack of an official readout from the Prime Minister's Office, noting that "all I know now is that there are two versions of events." Neither the Canadian nor U.S. governments issued formal statements detailing the conversation's contents.The diplomatic disagreement underscores broader tensions as Canada seeks to maintain its sovereignty while managing its crucial economic relationship with the United States, particularly ahead of the upcoming CUSMA trade agreement review.Source: CBC News