Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Canada’s close ties to the US have become a weakness.

• Canada’s close ties to the US have become a weakness, said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
• US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slammed ‌Canada ⁠as a difficult trading partner.
• More than 85% of US-Canada trade remains tariff free.

Canada’s close ties to the United States were once a strength but have become a weakness, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday, in a video message to his country in which he also ‌praised the heroism of military leaders who fought against the US invasion more than two centuries ago.

Holding up a small toy soldier depiction of General Isaac Brock, the British military leader who died defending what is now Canada from a US invasion in the War of 1812, Carney said Canada couldn’t control the disruption coming from its ⁠US neighbour, and couldn’t bet its future on the hope that it would suddenly stop.

“The situation today feels unique, but we’ve faced down threats like this before,” Carney said, referencing Brock and several other Canadian historical figures, including Chief Tecumseh, who united Indigenous Nations across the Great Lakes to resist US expansion in 1812.

Carney, who secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government last week, has said his electoral win will help him deal more effectively in the trade war started by US President Donald Trump.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slammed ‌Canada ⁠as a difficult trading partner last week.

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Canada, which sends almost 70% of its exports to the US, is due to review the trilateral US-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty in 2026.

US officials have suggested they want major changes to the pact.

As well as imposing tariffs on Canadian exports such as ⁠steel, aluminium and vehicles, Trump has repeatedly mused about annexing Canada and turning it into the 51st US state.

AFP recently reported that while more than 85% of US-Canada trade remains tariff free, Trump’s levies on key sectors have forced Canadian job losses and slowed growth.

The North American free trade deal that Trump signed in his first term is also in jeopardy, with revision talks set for the coming weeks.

Trump has called the pact “irrelevant”.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last week offered a more optimistic outlook for the future of the agreement known as the USMCA.

He told a group in Washington that the deal had “load-bearing pillars” that function well and would likely be preserved, while certain provisions “have to be changed”.

Carney’s office did not immediately respond to questions about why he had released the video ⁠now, and why he had praised figures who resisted US expansionism.

Carney said he planned to give regular addresses to Canadians in the weeks and months ahead to update them ⁠on what his government is doing to grow Canada’s economy and defend its sovereignty.

“It’s our country, it’s our future, we are taking back control,” he said.