Davos: Australian government praises Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Trump speech

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has hailed a speech by Canada’s Prime Minister denouncing Donald Trump’s attacks on the global rules-based order as a “stunning” and “thoughtful” contribution, claiming it was being widely discussed in government circles.

On the opening day of this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Mark Carney declared the US-led global system of governance was enduring “a rupture”, defined by great power competition and urged middle powers to unite to avoid economic coercion.

“Stop invoking the ‘rules-based international order’ as though it still functions as advertised,” said Mr Carney, who won a landslide election last year after an anti-Trump backlash over his campaign to incorporate Canada as the 51st state.

“Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion,” he told the annual gathering of political and financial elites in Switzerland.

“Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Mr Carney said while also affirming Canada’s support for Greenland, Denmark and the NATO alliance, drawing applause.

When asked by The Nightly about the comments, Dr Chalmers welcomed the Canadian leader’s speech, saying it had made a “powerful point” that “a lot of the old certainties that we relied upon for a long time now are breaking down”.

“I thought Prime Minister Carney’s speech was a stunning speech. I thought it was very thoughtful, obviously very impactful. We’ve had a number of discussions as a government about the contents of his speech. It’s been widely discussed.”

“The job for us, the job for our Canadian friends, is to work out how we can shape all of this change in our own interests, how we can maintain a commitment to institutions around the world, and to international law, to try and resolve our differences in a calm and considered way, but also recognise geopolitical situation is fragmenting.”

While the Prime Minister did not mention Donald Trump by name, many of his remarks seemed aimed at the President, who is threatening to impose tariffs on European allies and the UK unless Greenland is surrendered to the US.

Pressed on how Australia could cooperate with like-minded nations to “get around the Trump problem”, Dr Chalmers insisted the Government works closely with “all of our partners and friends in the world, including other middle powers”.

“We continue to believe that our interests as Australians are best served by cooperation, they’re best served by the kind of rational resolution of our differences, managing our differences within international law and international institutions”.

“Canada, Australia and others come to this world of churn and change with really quite extraordinary advantages, and we intend to make the most of them,” Dr Chalmers added.

Another senior Albanese government figure told The Nightly they also believed Mr Carney’s speech was “powerful” and highlighted the similar challenges that both Australia and Canada share as middle powers.

“We have many things in common with Canada, while Australia has been subjected to economic coercion from China – they have felt the effects of the Trump administration’s threats towards them,” the Minister said.

During his own appearance at the Davos Forum on Wednesday, President Trump hit back at Mr Carney declaring: “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

The US President also took a swipe at his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for wearing sunglasses during his Davos speech, and at Switzerland’s former president Karin Keller-Sutter, who, he said, “just rubbed me the wrong way, I’ll be honest with you”.