Ottawa, Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to shrink his country's economic and security reliance on the US and set a goal to double its non-US exports over the next decade.

During a televised address to university students on Wednesday, Carney rekindled his criticism of President Donald Trump's trade war and said that his upcoming budget will focus on investment and austerity.

"The decades-long process of an ever-closer economic relationship between the Canadian and US economies is over," Carney said after weeks of criticism over his handling of the Trump administration.

"Many of our former strengths, based on close ties to America, have become our vulnerabilities," Carney claimed, before vowing to scale-up defense spending and housing infrastructure and reduce Canada's reliance on the US.

Trump's trade war with Canada has seen Ottawa face tariffs on cars, steel, and lumber – all key industries – threatening the Canadian economy and thousands of local jobs.

Just last week, Jeep manufacturer Stellantis shifted its production from Ontario to Illinois, leading to criticisms of Carney for not taking the fight to Trump with more retaliatory tariffs and other measures.

On Wednesday, the Liberal moved to strengthen his position against Trump, not only vowing to reduce his country's reliance on the US but to double its exports to the rest of the world over the next decade.

Currently, more than 75% of Canada's exports go to the US, making its economy heavily reliant on Washington and vulnerable to decisions taken in the White House.

"The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression," Carney said. "We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner."