Carney says Canada weighed 'extreme tail risk' of US invasion
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told The New York Times his government had considered the 'extreme tail risk' of a United States invasion after Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Canada become America's 51st state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government considered the “extreme tail risk” of a United States invasion after President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Canada should become America’s 51st state.
“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk. That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case,” Carney told The New York Times, in comments reported by Fox News on Thursday. “It would be irresponsible not to.”
Carney stressed that a US invasion was not considered a likely outcome, but said examining even an unlikely military scenario was part of his responsibility as prime minister, amid new strains between Washington and Ottawa over tariffs and Canada’s attempt to reduce its economic dependence on the United States.
Trade tensions between the two neighbours have escalated during the past year, with Trump imposing higher tariffs on Canadian products and Ottawa responding with retaliatory measures.
Carney has argued the dispute exposed the danger of Canada relying too heavily on a single market. “The past 40 years has been a period of deeper economic integration with the United States,” he said in a video statement earlier this month. “Truth is, it was easy business, but it meant we relied too much on one economic partner. It’s clear that time is over.”
The comments come as Canada seeks to expand its commercial relationships beyond the US — a shift that has drawn sharp responses from Trump.
Sources
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