‘A global rupture’: Carney calls for Canada-EU unity before G7 summit
Canada’s prime minister has warned that the ‘rules-based’ global order is ‘breaking down’ amid superpower dominance. On the eve of the upcoming week’s Group of
Canada’s prime minister has warned that the ‘rules-based’ global order is ‘breaking down’ amid superpower dominance. On the eve of the upcoming week’s Group of Seven (G7) meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has reiterated his vision of a shift away from a world order dominated by superpowers. Carney delivered his remarks on Saturday at the launch of the De Chastelain Public Lecture series at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Attendees included his Irish counterpart, Micheal Martin. According to Carney, the world is at a critical juncture, and he appealed to leaders of what he called the “middle powers” to unite and find their collective strength. “Ireland and Canada are navigating a global rupture, not a quiet transition,” Carney said. “The post-Cold War world’s rules-based order is breaking down. Multilateral institutions have weakened. Economic integration, from which we have benefitted is being weaponised. The international trading system, which we’ve relied upon for decades, is under threat.” Carney kept his remarks general. He did not name any countries that were violating the “rules-based” global order, nor did he point a finger at any international counterpart. But his remarks come at a moment of historic friction between Canada and its southern neighbour, the United States. A longtime ally, the US has increasingly pressured Canada to cede its sovereignty since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in Washington, DC, for a second term.
Trump has called for Canada to become the US’s “51st state” — a campaign he continued into this month, with a social media post on June 1 — and he has used tariffs to push the country to fall in line with US priorities on trade and immigration. Both Carney and Trump are expected to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, held from June 15 to 17. Carney’s calls for more collaboration between “middle powers” have found a receptive audience among some G7 members, particularly in the European Union, which is seeking to lessen its dependence on the US amid heightened tensions. Carney used Saturday’s speech to appeal directly to his European counterparts. He emphasised unity as a response to the go-it-alone mentality some superpowers have adopted. “Canada, Ireland, and Europe are increasingly and more immediately vulnerable to once-distant threats. And I suggest that amidst this change — amidst this disruption — Canada, Ireland, and Europe can be pivotal, powerful and purposeful: a force for good,” Carney said. His Trinity College remarks hewed closely to a speech he gave earlier in the year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when he debuted his “middle powers” approach. That speech generated shockwaves by questioning the long-term durability of existing global alliances. It cited violations of international law and the use of global economic integration as a “weapon” to coerce smaller countries.
The BriefWire