On the eve of the upcoming week\u2019s Group of Seven (G7) meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has reiterated his vision of a shift away from a world order dominated by superpowers.<\/p>\n
Carney delivered his remarks on Saturday at the launch of the De Chastelain Public Lecture series at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Attendees included his Irish counterpart, Micheal Martin.<\/p>\n
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According to Carney, the world is at a critical juncture, and he appealed to leaders of what he called the \u201cmiddle powers\u201d to unite and find their collective strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland and Canada are navigating a global rupture, not a quiet transition,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe post-Cold War world\u2019s rules-based order is breaking down. Multilateral institutions have weakened. Economic integration, from which we have benefitted is being weaponised. The international trading system, which we\u2019ve relied upon for decades, is under threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney kept his remarks general. He did not name any countries that were violating the \u201crules-based\u201d global order, nor did he point a finger at any international counterpart.<\/p>\n
But his remarks come at a moment of historic friction between Canada and its southern neighbour, the United States.<\/p>\n
A longtime ally, the US has increasingly pressured Canada to cede its sovereignty since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in Washington, DC, for a second term.<\/p>\n
Trump has called for Canada to become the US\u2019s \u201c51st state\u201d \u2014 a campaign he continued into this month, with a social media post<\/a> on June 1 \u2014 and he has used tariffs to push the country to fall in line with US priorities on trade and immigration.<\/p>\n Both Carney and Trump are expected to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, held from June 15 to 17.<\/p>\n Carney\u2019s calls for more collaboration between \u201cmiddle powers\u201d have found a receptive audience among some G7 members, particularly in the European Union, which is seeking to lessen its dependence on the US amid heightened tensions.<\/p>\n Carney used Saturday\u2019s speech to appeal directly to his European counterparts. He emphasised unity as a response to the go-it-alone mentality some superpowers have adopted.<\/p>\n \u201cCanada, Ireland, and Europe are increasingly and more immediately vulnerable to once-distant threats. And I suggest that amidst this change \u2014 amidst this disruption \u2014 Canada, Ireland, and Europe can be pivotal, powerful and purposeful: a force for good,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n