US withdraws Board of Peace invite amid tensions with Canada

TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back Thursday at President Donald Trump’s inflammatory claim at the World Economic Forum that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” Carney responded in a national address in Quebec City ahead of a new legislative session, even as he acknowledged the “remarkable partnership” between the two nations.

Trump appeared to shoot back later Thursday on his Truth Social platform, withdrawing an invitation for Canada to join the “Board of Peace” -- his self-styled billion-dollar body for resolving global conflict.

“Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

A government source told AFP Monday that Canada will not pay to be on the board, although Carney had indicated he would accept an invitation to join. The rhetorical back-and-forth between the two leaders underscores growing tensions between the allied nations. Carney’s speech on Thursday followed his remarks at the forum of political and financial elites in Davos, Switzerland, where he won a

standing ovation for his frank assessment of a “rupture” in the US-led, rules-based global order. That speech on Tuesday, which made world headlines, was widely viewed as a reference to Trump’s disruptive influence on international affairs, although he was not mentioned by name. “I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” the US president said on Wednesday.

“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

In Carney’s speech on Thursday, aimed at a domestic audience, he said that Canada should serve as a model in an era of “democratic decline.”

“Canada can’t solve all the world’s problems, but we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion,” the prime minister said.

While Carney has not been shy of criticizing Trump since he took office nine months ago, he heads a country that remains heavily reliant on trade with the United

States, the destination for more than three quarters of Canadian exports.