In saying no to Trump, Carney is doing the right thing

Opinion In saying no to Trump, Carney is doing the right thing The Canadian PM is doing something rather rare in the Trump era: A middle power is saying no to a superpower.

Key points

• 2 min readAug 25, 2026 06: 05 AM IST First published on: Aug 25, 2026 at 06: 05 AM IST.
• Among other "unacceptable" demands, remarked PM Carney, Washington seeks to restrict Canada's ability to pursue trade deals with other countries.
• The Trump tariffs touch products from Canadian wine and dairy to furniture, clothing, cement and hockey equipment.
• For the Canadian PM, the showdown with Trump is the clearest test yet of his thesis that middle powers must stand up to great powers and unite.

For context, the Trump tariffs touch products from Canadian wine and dairy to furniture, clothing, cement and hockey equipment.

By instructing his negotiators to walk away from trade discussions with the US – reportedly over Washington's last-minute demands – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has drawn a red line against President Donald Trump's weaponisation of tariffs. Canada's economy is deeply integrated with that of its superpower neighbour, and Carney's "dollar-for-dollar" retaliation against Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on around $20 billion worth of Canadian goods will inevitably hurt businesses and workers on both sides of the border. Among other "unacceptable" demands, remarked PM Carney, Washington seeks to restrict Canada's ability to pursue trade deals with other countries. It would amount to an erosion of Canadian sovereignty. Elected to power not too long ago on a promise to stand up to Trump's threats, Carney has done the right thing by rejecting an unequal trade relationship. In doing so, he is additionally acting on his assessment at Davos seven months ago: The "rules-based order", he had stated, "is fading".

For the Canadian PM, the showdown with Trump is the clearest test yet of his thesis that middle powers must stand up to great powers and unite. Indeed, he has been busy securing deals in Asia and Europe, a paradigm shift away from Canada's economic dependence on the US so far. It is too early to say whether these new partnerships have the substance to mitigate the pain that a breakdown in US-Canada relations will cause. But Carney is doing something rather rare in the Trump era: A middle power is saying no to a superpower.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

For now, in saying no to Trump, Carney is doing the right thing remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.