Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his citizens were not “impressed” by Great Britain’s decision to invite President Trump for a state visit, even as the U.S. leader talks of making Canada a U.S. state.
“I think, to be frank, they [Canadians] weren’t impressed by that gesture … given the circumstance,” Carney said during a Wednesday interview with Sky News.
“It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer extended the invitation to Trump during a visit to the White House, though the invitation presented by Starmer was from King Charles.
It came as Starmer sought to get off to a good start with his own relationship with Trump, and Carney in the interview on Sky News appeared to take exception to it.
Canada remains part of the British Commonwealth of Nations and is a constitutional monarchy, with Charles serving as the sovereign head of state.
Trump has imposed tariffs on Canada and has repeatedly irked the U.S.’s northern neighbor by discussing how Canada would be better off as a U.S. state. Carney won election thanks in part to public anger with Trump in Canada, and a belief by voters that Carney would stand up to the U.S. president.
Carney told Sky News the president’s remarks were a “threat” to Canada’s sovereignty.
“All issues around Canada’s sovereignty have been accentuated by the president. So no, it’s not coincidental, but it is also a reaffirming moment for Canadians,” he told Sky News.
Starmer has lauded the U.K.’s ability to secure the White House’s first trade agreement out of the second administration after Britain chose to depart from the European Union.
Charles is scheduled to attend the opening of Canada’s Parliament on May 27, which would be the first time a monarch has done so in decades.
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