>”This is not naive multilateralism. Nor is it relying on diminished institutions. It is building the coalitions that work, issue by issue, with partners who share enough common ground to act together. Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” Carney said. “We are engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes. We actively take on the world as it is, not waiting for the world as we wish it to be”.
It is impossible to overstate how lucky we are that Pierre Poilievre didn’t win.
7-5NoHits on
It was an excellent speech. This is what Carney was elected to do, and in this moment he delivered.
darrylgorn on
Did Carney make a new years resolution to grow a spine or something?
This is a relieving change of tone from the capitulation technique in 2025.
Are we actually getting our elbows back?
RNTMA on
This was a fairly good speech, though Carney is basically purpose built for these type of events.
It seems Carney’s new narrative strategy is to paint Canada as a “middle power” and try to lead an alliance of other “middle powers” to work together to decouple from the US. Seems to be expanding on the visit to Qatar where he painted both of us as middle powers. Will need the other middle powers to grow a spine though, since many seem comfortable to show the US their belly and hope the threat passes.
bigjimbay on
The old order is still here. We just replaced the US with China.
We are still enslaved by corporate elites, still facing housing and Healthcare shortages, poor job market and low food security.
Nothing has changed in the grand scheme of things. And they don’t want it to.
There is no new order.
KvotheG on
>”The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger and more just. Great powers can afford to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not. But when we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. This is not sovereignty. It is the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination,” Carney said. “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.”
I wonder if this means CUSMA is dead when it comes time to renegotiate.
Anyways, even if TRUMP or MAGA is gone from power, none of this cult is going to disappear. Someone worse than Trump could always come to power. And the Democrats can’t be trusted to restore the old way, as some may find it popular to maintain Trump era policies.
In no scenario should the US be Canada’s major trading partner anymore. Geography will make that difficult, but our trading relationships with other countries combined should always outweigh the one we have with the US.
planemissediknow on
It’s a really good speech. You can tell Carney has decades of experience in rooms like this. Scott Moe said it the other day but Carney’s international reputation really helps Canada, and stuff like this only emphasizes it.
He’s also obviously positioning us as the country to talk to right now, in a way we weren’t before. I just hope he has the necessary time for it to come to fruition
Odezur on
Wow this is the most stark, blunt, ballsy, but also encouraging speech we’ve had from a leader in a long time. I like the pragmatic framing of it, the assessment of the stark reality we are now fully in, while still keeping optimistic about our path forward. Carney is the leader we need for this moment and I am glad he is steering the ship.
Senior_Plastic_95 on
so it will be the world as one.
and the us as an outlier. I guess in 20-30 years we can expect a “tear down the wall mr president” moment if the US finally joins a global order.
TheFutureMrGittes on
Everyone in the White House is scratching their heads trying to figure out what Carney just said. That speech is too sophisticated for them to comprehend. Trump will need someone to draw him a picture in crayon.
hardk7 on
Finally having a pragmatist as a leader is something I didn’t realize I needed so badly. It is so refreshing to hear a leader just speak the plain truth, and not dumb down reality to slogans or lowest common denominator talking points. Nor to speak in lofty, noble but unrealistic ways about how the world is. We need more leaders like this right now.
Fit_Growth_2355 on
The most realistic definition of today’s world
“A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,”
ESF-hockeeyyy on
Probably the most important speech a Canadian politician has given since Chretien’s speech to the nation after the Quebec Referendum.
The old way is done. We need to forge a path ahead that doesn’t rely so heavily on the US.
EnigmaCA on
Simply because of location, the US will be Canada’s largest trading partner.
However, instead of something extreme like the current levels (aren’t they like 90% or something?), it will shift to something smaller (like 50%).
They aren’t going away, but they won’t/can’t be our only option moving forward.
Temporary_Shirt_6236 on
Damn, this is the most blunt and forthright Carney has been as PM so far. It’s a prelude to dark times, but I am glad that he clearly sees it for what it is. Can he pull this off given our uniquely precarious position? That remains to be seen, but I for one am behind it.
PineBNorth85 on
It’s kinda sad that he has to keep saying this. He’s said it repeatedly in the past year but so many keep acting like it will. Just wait Trump out and it’ll be normal again. It won’t. It kinda felt like that when Biden got in but this time is totally different. Now we know they’re always one election away from being an erratic bully to everyone.
We have to make our own way which we should have been doing the whole time.
SDK1176 on
“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.”
Hell yes! So glad to hear him say this. European countries and our NATO allies need to stand with Canada in condemning US expansionism instead of individually hoping to grovel their way to prosperity. This is a huge test for our world.
stephenBB81 on
“Great powers can afford to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not. But when we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. This is not sovereignty. It is the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination,”
“Many countries are drawing the same conclusions. They must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains.
A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,”
What I really hope this leads to is the the middle powers all embracing smaller more locally controlled technology suites, I’d love to see the power that Apple, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon hold be diminished as other countries start developing and using home grown solutions to get away from US influence.
And maybe we see way more investment in local entertainment and less in Hollywood. Give me way more BBC like content with real looking people and not everyone with instagram face.
postusa2 on
Look past the headline and watch the speech. It makes Canada proud, and offers a path through this madness to other “middle powers”. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE981Z_TaVo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE981Z_TaVo)
Ask_DontTell on
this is one of the best articulations of Carney’s thinking about geopolitics and Canada’s strategy. highly recommend people watch it for themselves.
got-trunks on
“We are engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes. We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for the world as we wish it to be,” he said.
“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger and more just.”
21 Comments
>”This is not naive multilateralism. Nor is it relying on diminished institutions. It is building the coalitions that work, issue by issue, with partners who share enough common ground to act together. Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” Carney said. “We are engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes. We actively take on the world as it is, not waiting for the world as we wish it to be”.
It is impossible to overstate how lucky we are that Pierre Poilievre didn’t win.
It was an excellent speech. This is what Carney was elected to do, and in this moment he delivered.
Did Carney make a new years resolution to grow a spine or something?
This is a relieving change of tone from the capitulation technique in 2025.
Are we actually getting our elbows back?
This was a fairly good speech, though Carney is basically purpose built for these type of events.
It seems Carney’s new narrative strategy is to paint Canada as a “middle power” and try to lead an alliance of other “middle powers” to work together to decouple from the US. Seems to be expanding on the visit to Qatar where he painted both of us as middle powers. Will need the other middle powers to grow a spine though, since many seem comfortable to show the US their belly and hope the threat passes.
The old order is still here. We just replaced the US with China.
We are still enslaved by corporate elites, still facing housing and Healthcare shortages, poor job market and low food security.
Nothing has changed in the grand scheme of things. And they don’t want it to.
There is no new order.
>”The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger and more just. Great powers can afford to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not. But when we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. This is not sovereignty. It is the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination,” Carney said. “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.”
I wonder if this means CUSMA is dead when it comes time to renegotiate.
Anyways, even if TRUMP or MAGA is gone from power, none of this cult is going to disappear. Someone worse than Trump could always come to power. And the Democrats can’t be trusted to restore the old way, as some may find it popular to maintain Trump era policies.
In no scenario should the US be Canada’s major trading partner anymore. Geography will make that difficult, but our trading relationships with other countries combined should always outweigh the one we have with the US.
It’s a really good speech. You can tell Carney has decades of experience in rooms like this. Scott Moe said it the other day but Carney’s international reputation really helps Canada, and stuff like this only emphasizes it.
He’s also obviously positioning us as the country to talk to right now, in a way we weren’t before. I just hope he has the necessary time for it to come to fruition
Wow this is the most stark, blunt, ballsy, but also encouraging speech we’ve had from a leader in a long time. I like the pragmatic framing of it, the assessment of the stark reality we are now fully in, while still keeping optimistic about our path forward. Carney is the leader we need for this moment and I am glad he is steering the ship.
so it will be the world as one.
and the us as an outlier. I guess in 20-30 years we can expect a “tear down the wall mr president” moment if the US finally joins a global order.
Everyone in the White House is scratching their heads trying to figure out what Carney just said. That speech is too sophisticated for them to comprehend. Trump will need someone to draw him a picture in crayon.
Finally having a pragmatist as a leader is something I didn’t realize I needed so badly. It is so refreshing to hear a leader just speak the plain truth, and not dumb down reality to slogans or lowest common denominator talking points. Nor to speak in lofty, noble but unrealistic ways about how the world is. We need more leaders like this right now.
The most realistic definition of today’s world
“A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,”
Probably the most important speech a Canadian politician has given since Chretien’s speech to the nation after the Quebec Referendum.
The old way is done. We need to forge a path ahead that doesn’t rely so heavily on the US.
Simply because of location, the US will be Canada’s largest trading partner.
However, instead of something extreme like the current levels (aren’t they like 90% or something?), it will shift to something smaller (like 50%).
They aren’t going away, but they won’t/can’t be our only option moving forward.
Damn, this is the most blunt and forthright Carney has been as PM so far. It’s a prelude to dark times, but I am glad that he clearly sees it for what it is. Can he pull this off given our uniquely precarious position? That remains to be seen, but I for one am behind it.
It’s kinda sad that he has to keep saying this. He’s said it repeatedly in the past year but so many keep acting like it will. Just wait Trump out and it’ll be normal again. It won’t. It kinda felt like that when Biden got in but this time is totally different. Now we know they’re always one election away from being an erratic bully to everyone.
We have to make our own way which we should have been doing the whole time.
“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.”
Hell yes! So glad to hear him say this. European countries and our NATO allies need to stand with Canada in condemning US expansionism instead of individually hoping to grovel their way to prosperity. This is a huge test for our world.
“Great powers can afford to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not. But when we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. This is not sovereignty. It is the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination,”
“Many countries are drawing the same conclusions. They must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains.
A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself,”
What I really hope this leads to is the the middle powers all embracing smaller more locally controlled technology suites, I’d love to see the power that Apple, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon hold be diminished as other countries start developing and using home grown solutions to get away from US influence.
And maybe we see way more investment in local entertainment and less in Hollywood. Give me way more BBC like content with real looking people and not everyone with instagram face.
Look past the headline and watch the speech. It makes Canada proud, and offers a path through this madness to other “middle powers”. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE981Z_TaVo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE981Z_TaVo)
this is one of the best articulations of Carney’s thinking about geopolitics and Canada’s strategy. highly recommend people watch it for themselves.
“We are engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes. We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for the world as we wish it to be,” he said.
“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger and more just.”