Canadian PM Carney strongly opposes Trump's tariffs threat: 'Stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark'

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos. (Image: Reuters)

At the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the country strongly opposed any tariffs being imposed by the US to further President Donald Trump's aim of acquiring Greenland and highlighted Canada’s commitment to the principle of collective defence — Article 5 — of the military alliance NATO is “unwavering.”

Trump announced tariffs on Saturday on imports from European allies that opposed his desire for the United States to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous part of Denmark.

"Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland and calls for focused talks to achieve our shared objectives of security and prosperity in the Arctic," Carney said at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Reuters reported.

“On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future. Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering,” he said in a major foreign policy speech.

Carney voiced his support for Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland. He also reiterated Canada's desire to forge new alliances with like-minded countries as he navigates a tricky relationship with the Trump administration in Washington.

Before Greenland, Trump has previously threatened to annex Canada and early on Tuesday shared an AI image of a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the United States.

"If great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate," Carney said.

Without naming Trump directly in his broader address, Carney warned that such actions signal a deeper breakdown in the global order.

“Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Carney said, arguing that the world is no longer witnessing a gradual evolution of the international system but a fundamental break from it.

Carney, a former head of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada who struck a deal with China last week, said it was important for Canada to have a "web of connections".

"There are very clear guard rails in that relationship," Carney said of Canada's deal with China.

"But within those clear guard rails are huge opportunities in energy, both clean and conventional ... in agriculture, in financial services, all of which is mutually beneficial."