Yerevan, Armenia - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the European Political Community (EPC) on Monday that they are not "destined to submit" to Trump's "brutal" new world order.
"We're demonstrating not just the strength of our values in defending the rules-based international order… But also the value of our strength," Carney said during a brief address to a gathering of EPC leaders in Yerevan.
"That's necessary because the world is undergoing a rupture across several dimensions," he continued. "Integration is being used as a weapon by some, and the rules are not constraining the hegemons."
"We have to actively take on the world as it is, not as we wish it to be, we know nostalgia's not a strategy, but we don't think that we're destined to submit to a more transactional, insular, and brutal world."
Carney's comments came during Canada's first-ever appearance at the EPC, a summit launched by French President Emmanuel Macron to help coordinate a collective response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Gathering such as these point to a better way forward," Carney said, before sharing a few thoughts on how Europe and Canada can achieve "strategic autonomy" and shift away from reliance on the US.
Canada's Carney outlines "strategic imperative"
The appearance comes months after Carney in January blasted President Donald Trump's administration at the World Economic Forum, declaring the end of Washington's hegemony.
Ottawa's approach under Carney has been an attempt to decouple from its reliance on the US, especially amid economic turbulence triggered by Trump's tariff policy and war with Iran. Instead, Canada is shifting to more reliable partnerships with Europe, Mexico, Australia, and beyond.
"Our strategic imperative is to build these sovereign capabilities with the most trusted partners," Carney said. "That creates enormous opportunities for partnership between Canada and Europe."