Why Canada thinks close economic ties with US have become a ‘weakness’

Mark Carney said Canada needs to strengthen economic ties with other countries as its relationship with the United States continues to evolve.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, has said that after decades of partnership with the United States, the close economic ties between the two countries have now become a "weakness" that needs to corrected, as per the report.

According to Al Jazeera on Sunday, while giving remarks on Ottawa's relationship with the Washington, Carney indicated that Canada must reduce its excessive reliance on any one country.

“The world is more dangerous and divided. The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression,” Carney said, reported Al Jazeera.

He further said, “Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become weaknesses. “Weaknesses that we must correct.”

The remarks are the latest from the Canadian Prime Minister highlighting a shift in US–Canada relations after decades of economic integration, as threats of higher tariffs from US President Donald Trump disrupt trade ties with both allies and adversaries worldwide.

Adding fuel to the fire, comments by Donald Trump suggesting that Canada should become a US state have also unsettled Canadians.

“The situation today feels unique, but we’ve faced down threats like this before,” Carney said.

 Carney’s Liberal Party government secured a parliamentary majority in special elections earlier this month, giving him greater flexibility to address key economic issues, including trade ties with the United States. A review of the free trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico is scheduled for July.

Mark Carney became prime minister in 2025 after campaigning on a promise to adopt a firm stance against what many Canadians view as unwarranted hostility from the United States.

“We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner,” Carney said on Sunday.

Carney further added, “We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbours. We can’t control our future on the hope it will suddenly stop.”

Although, the tensions between the Donald Trump and Mark Carney have eased and some tariffs have been rolled back, the Canadian Prime Minister has been pursuing stronger and closer economic ties with countries like China to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States.