'We're In Midst Of Rupture, Not Transition': Canada's Carney Opposes US Tariffs Over Greenland

Last Updated:January 21, 2026, 07:09 IST

Mark Carney warns against US tariffs on Greenland, backs Denmark’s sovereignty, urges cooperation over coercion, and reaffirms Canada’s NATO commitment amid global order shifts.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos (Photo: Reuters)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday issued a sharp warning against the use of economic coercion by major powers, strongly opposing any US tariffs linked to Greenland and asserting support for Greenland and Denmark’s sovereign right to determine their own future.

“Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland and calls for focused talks to achieve our shared objectives of security and prosperity in the Arctic," Carney said, making clear that Ottawa stands “firmly with Greenland and Denmark" amid escalating rhetoric from Washington.

Reaffirming Canada’s commitment to collective defence, he added that its commitment to NATO’s Article 5 “is unwavering."

Carney’s remarks came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump publicly linking tariffs on European allies to opposition against his stated desire for the United States to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Without naming Trump directly in his broader address, Carney warned that such actions signal a deeper breakdown in the global order.

“Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Carney said, arguing that the world is no longer witnessing a gradual evolution of the international system but a fundamental break from it.

He cautioned that “great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon," with tariffs, financial infrastructure and supply chains increasingly deployed as tools of leverage rather than cooperation.

Reflecting on the post-war global system, Carney acknowledged that the rules-based order was never fully equitable.

“We knew that the story of a rules-based international system was partially false," he said, noting that powerful states often exempted themselves from rules and that enforcement was uneven.

Yet, he stressed that the system still delivered tangible global benefits.

“This fiction was nevertheless useful," Carney said.

“American hegemony helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and frameworks for resolving disputes."

However, he added bluntly, “That bargain no longer works."

Carney warned that when integration becomes a source of subordination rather than mutual gain, countries are forced to seek greater strategic autonomy.

“You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination," he said, describing the impulse for self-protection as understandable when rules fail to offer security.

At the same time, he cautioned against a retreat into isolation.

“A world of fortresses will be poorer, more fragile, and less sustainable," Carney said, warning that unchecked power politics would make the gains of globalisation far harder to replicate.

He argued that if great powers abandon even the pretence of shared rules and values, allies will inevitably diversify partnerships to hedge against uncertainty.

Describing this shift as “classic risk management," Carney said countries would seek insurance through new alliances and economic options.

He emphasised that Canada’s response would not be to “build higher walls," but to pursue more ambitious cooperation based on shared standards and complementary partnerships.

“The costs of strategic autonomy and sovereignty can also be shared," he said, adding that cooperation can reduce fragmentation and create positive-sum outcomes.

For Canada, he concluded, adapting to this harsher geopolitical reality “is not optional, it is essential," underscoring Ottawa’s intent to defend sovereignty, stability and prosperity through dialogue rather than coercion.

News world 'We're In Midst Of Rupture, Not Transition': Canada's Carney Opposes US Tariffs Over Greenland

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