Canadian PM Prepared for U.S. Invasion Amid Trade Tensions, Interview Reveals

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has stated that he prepared for the possibility of the U.S. invading Canada, describing it as an "extreme tail risk" amid escalating trade tensions and rhetoric from President Donald Trump.

Carney made these remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published Wednesday. He indicated that he considered this possibility after Trump began referring to Canada as the "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 Times, adding, "it would be irresponsible not to."

Trade relations between the United States and Canada have seen increased friction over the past year, marked by reciprocal tariffs. Carney acknowledged earlier this month that Canada had become overly dependent on its economic relationship with the U.S.

"The past 40 years has been a period of deeper economic integration with the United States. Truth is, it was easy business, but it meant we relied too much on one economic partner. It’s clear that time is over," Carney said in a video statement. "This is why our plan, since I came into office, has been development and diversification, not denial, waiting to go back to some good old days, and not continued dependence."

Separately, Trump recently dismissed reports that Canada might join the European Union as an associate member. He warned that the U.S. could impose significant tariffs on Europe if such a move was perceived as having "bad intention."

"If Europe does that with a bad intention – if it's a good intention, that's fine – if it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe," Trump stated last week. He called the idea of Canada joining the EU "laughable."