OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney is standing by his speech at the World Economic Forum last week, despite claims from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that he “aggressively” walked back some of his comments during a phone call.
“To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president. I mean what I said in Davos,” Carney said to reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. “It was clear. It was a broader set of issues that Canada was the first country to understand the change in U.S. trade policy that he had initiated, and we’re responding to that.”
The prime minister, who confirmed Trump called him on Monday, also said the two leaders had “a very good conversation on a wide range of subjects.”
Carney’s comments come after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed the prime minister “aggressively” walked back parts of his speech during Monday’s call.
“I was in the Oval (Office) with the president today. He spoke to Prime Minister Carney, who was very aggressively walking back some of the unfortunate remarks he made at Davos,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” program on Monday night.
Prime Minister Mark Carney Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to media, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
When asked specifically whether he did retract parts of the speech, as Bessent claimed, Carney said “no.”
When asked specifically whether he did retract parts of the speech, as Bessent claimed, Carney did not answer directly.
In the speech, which garnered international praise, Carney warned against great powers using “economic integration as weapons” and said that the “old order is not coming back,” but didn’t call out Trump directly.
After the speech, Trump reacted to Carney’s address, saying “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Days later, Trump threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if Canada “makes a deal with China.” This was despite calling Canada’s agreement with China “a good thing” just days prior. He also taunted Carney, calling him “governor” for the first time.
Carney has since insisted Canada is not seeking a free trade deal with China.
This is a breaking news story… More to come…
