Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Oslo on Saturday.CHRISTOFFER ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images
Prime Minister Mark Carney marked his first year in office Saturday by defending his economic record and insisting that Canadians “are getting ahead.”
Mr. Carney said that despite weak economic indicators, there has been overall growth in jobs and wages since he was sworn in.
“We’ve created 84,000 net jobs since I became Prime Minister,” he told reporters after a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo. He added that wages have grown faster than inflation every month and listed several infrastructure projects that he said will create further employment.
“Canadians are getting ahead. It’s going to take longer for that to fully realize,” he said.
When asked what message he had for those who are looking for work, he replied, “Any job loss, of course, is a challenge for the individuals, for their families,” adding that the government was “providing support and moving the economy forward.”
His comments came the day after some gloomy economic figures. On Friday, Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate had climbed to 6.7 per cent and that 84,000 jobs were lost last month, more than most economists expected. The economy also shrank 0.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2025.
And businesses are bracing for another round of tariffs from the Trump administration after U.S. trade officials announced investigations last week that could lead to a 25-per-cent levy on imports from Canada and dozens of other countries. The investigations are Mr. Trump’s way of imposing new tariffs after the U.S. Supreme Court shot down the global “Liberation Day” tariffs he imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“Canada was pummelled with tough economic indicators this week, amplifying the point of a stumbling start in 2026,” Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter said in a report released Friday. As a result, he has lowered his forecast for economic growth this year to 1 per cent from 1.3 per cent.
Mr. Carney has spent much of his first year in office travelling the world to open new trade and business opportunities, hoping to offset the vagaries of U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies.
Mr. Carney and Mr. Store committed their governments to working together to bolster defence in the Arctic, improve trade ties and promote deeper co-operation in several areas, including artificial intelligence and critical minerals. They also agreed to co-operate further on space-based capabilities and “explore opportunities for secure military satellite communications arrangements that enhance interoperability,” according to a joint statement.
“Norway and Canada will advance our shared interests, values and responsibilities in the space domain to enhance national and NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, especially in the Arctic,” the statement noted.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Mr. Carney speak to reporters before a working dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence in Oslo on Saturday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The two leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and plan to hold a ministerial conference with Ukraine in Toronto on Sept. 28 and 29. And they reiterated their opposition to a recent decision by the Trump administration to temporarily ease sanctions on the sale of Russian oil. “Any easing of these measures risks undermining collective efforts to constrain Russia’s war machine,” the statement said.
Mr. Carney met with executives from Landsvirkjun Power, an Icelandic company that has a wind energy subsidiary in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as with shipping giant Maersk and Norway’s Equinor, which is involved in a $14-billion oil and gas project with BP off the coast of Newfoundland.
Mr. Store said the Equinor project was just one example of the growing co-operation between Canada, Norway and other Nordic countries. He noted that he had invited the leaders of Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to come to Oslo during Mr. Carney’s visit. “They all said, ‘Sunday morning we will come to Oslo,’” he said.
Mr. Store played down tensions with the Trump administration over trade, security and the military action in Iran, which he and other European leaders have said is illegal. “We are allies, but we also are aware that the rest of the allies need to take more responsibility and to do it in a very cohesive way,” he said.
Mr. Carney and Mr. Store spent much of Saturday attending the Holmenkollen Skifestival, a 134-year-old skiing competition that has been known to attract as many as 100,000 spectators. The prime ministers watched the men’s and women’s 50-kilometre World Cup cross-country races, which saw 77 athletes compete in dense fog.
“This is probably the biggest World Cup race every year,” said Xavier McKeever of Canmore, Alta., who finished 41st. “Probably the most famous race that we do.”
While he has watched the event several times, this was Mr. McKeever’s first time competing. “I’m cramping right now,” he said after limping away from the finish line.
Mr. Carney met with some athletes, including Alison Mackie of Montreal, who came 14th in the women’s race, and Liliane Gagnon, from Shawinigan-Sud, Que., who finished 23rd.
“To have the Prime Minister watching is pretty great, and this is the event to come watch because it’s the coolest one and the most amount of people,” Mr. McKeever said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with Canadian athletes Liliane Gagnon and Alison Mackie on Saturday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The Canadian team has a Norwegian connection in head coach Julia Mehre Ystgaard, 28, who is from Oslo. “She’s young, so she brings energy to the team, which is really nice,” said Tom Stephen from Calgary, who finished 43rd Saturday.
He added that Ms. Ystgaard’s Norwegian background helps connect the Canadian team to others. “We’re a small team, so using resources from other teams when we’re able to really helps us,” he said.
Cross-country skiing is a national obsession in Norway, and the country has produced some of the best ever, including Johannes Klaebo, who won a record six gold medals at the Winter Olympics in Italy last month. Mr. Klaebo was supposed to compete Saturday but had to pull out after suffering a concussion from a fall during a race Thursday.
“It’s a disappointment,” said Anna Maria Acosta, who came to the race with her husband, Joakim Kalsnes, and their four-year-old son. Mr. Klaebo “is his idol,” she said, pointing to her son. “He was a bit sad when we saw the fall, but the others are still very good.”
Ms. Acosta, who is originally from Mexico, said cross-country skiing is part of Norwegian culture and she has become a huge fan. “It’s like going to watch the football in Mexico, the spirit of the people.”
She said it was great that Mr. Carney had come to watch the race and hoped it would encourage more Canadians to take up the sport. “If you have the snow and the people, maybe try it. I think you can be very good. You have the conditions to be good at it. So why not?”