Canada's new PM Carney says his country will never be part of US

Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched his term in office with a whole-hearted rejection of US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex his northern neighbour.

Shortly after he was sworn in as Canada's 24th prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau who has been in office since 2015, Carney said confronting Trump's tariffs would be a top priority.

Canada "will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States," he added, while voicing hope his government could one day work together with Washington to advance both countries' interests.

Touting the Canadian difference, he said of his new and diverse Cabinet: "You would not have that Cabinet in America. You do not have that Cabinet in America."

He added: "We are a very fundamentally different country."

Officials said they were looking to set up a call between Trump and Carney in the coming days.

Ottawa has been rattled by collapsing cross-border relations since Trump returned to power in January, launching a trade war and demanding that Canada surrender its independence to become the 51st US state.

Ottawa has retaliated against Trump's tariffs, while Canadian public opinion has been outraged as the US president insists the border separating the countries should be erased.

Carney has characterised the Trump administration as the greatest challenge Canada has faced in a generation, and US tariffs on Canadian goods as unjustified.

US tariffs

Carney was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before serving as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and also led the Bank of England through the turmoil surrounding the Brexit vote.

He has sought to present himself as purpose-built to lead a country through a trade war with the United States, once Canada's closest ally but now a country that Carney says Canada can "no longer trust."

On the week Trump's sweeping 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports came into force, Carney visited a steel plant in Hamilton, an industrial city near the US border in the province of Ontario.

Wearing a hard hat and goggles, Carney said he was ready to work out a trade deal with Trump.

But he insisted there must be "respect for Canadian sovereignty" in any negotiation.

Carney has also made clear efforts to distance himself from Trudeau with moves aimed at attracting more centrist voters.

The cabinet sworn in alongside Carney keeps much of Trudeau's team in place, including those working most closely on trade talks with the United States.

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Source: TRT