Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum was a masterclass of ‘judge what I say, not what I do’ spin. Within hours the government was already contradicting his most salient words.
In Davos, Switzerland, last week Canada’s prime minister challenged Donald Trump, questioned the rules based international order and defended sovereignty. Carney declared, “Principled in our commitment to fundamental values, sovereignty, territorial integrity, the prohibition of the use of force except when consistent with the UN Charter and respect for human rights.” Western liberal commentators lauded a speech that mentioned “sovereignty” seven times.
But, without skipping a beat, Ottawa has continued to trample on the sovereignty of those who need it the most. In recent days the Liberals joined the Trump administration in threatening Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, which was created two years ago to take the reins of a disintegrating state. In a post on X forty-eight hours after Carney’s speech, the Canadian embassy boosted the US threats of visa revocations against TPC members who didn’t follow orders. They posted, “Canada is deeply concerned by the attempts of several TPC members to replace the Prime Minister just a few days before the end of their term. … Canada remains ready to take action against any actor whose actions undermine the peace, security, and stability of Haiti.”
In only slightly less aggressive terms, Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand published a statement echoing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Anand posted, “Canada condemns any actions that will further destabilize Haiti and undermine security for the Haitian people. Canada calls on all Transitional Presidential Council members to honour the agreed upon end of their mandate on February 7th and to respect the Haitian people’s right to free and fair elections.”
At the same time as they were coordinating with the Trump administration to strong arm Haitian officials, Anand assisted the Israeli/US plan to usurp Palestinian sovereignty. On Friday she said Hamas “should have no role in the future governance of Palestine.” Why would Canadian officials feel any right to tell the long-colonized Palestinians who they can select to govern?
Imagine Palestinian officials declaring that the Liberals — for their role in dispossessing First Nations, coups in Haiti and Venezuela or wars in Korea and Yugoslavia — “should have no role in the future governance of” Canada?
Anand added that “Hamas must demilitarize and disarm.” Has she not seen what the Israelis have done in Gaza and elsewhere? It’s Israel that “must demilitarize and disarm”. The lawless genocidal apartheid state only responds to force. The platform (NDP2026.ca) for our campaign to lead the NDP notes, “Stop the demonization of Hamas and other groups involved in the armed struggle against Israeli occupation, as armed resistance is legal and justified when under occupation.”
Trampling on international law and other countries’ sovereignty is deeply ingrained in Canadian political culture. Newspapers openly applaud overthrowing foreign governments. A Toronto Sun editorial Sunday noted “Canada must support regime change in Iran” while a week ago the National Post declared “Canada must support this rare opportunity for regime change in Iran.” At an event I spoke at Friday, repeated NDP candidate Nima Machouf stated explicitly that she supported sanctions and isolating the Iranian government to bring its downfall. She added that ‘leftists’, monarchists and others in Montreal should work together to promote the overthrow of the Iranian government and should only worry about political divisions afterwards.
Undercutting sovereignty is the air we breathe. Unfortunately, Mark Carney’s speech has changed little.
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