{"id":906655,"date":"2026-09-23T13:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/906655\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:56:10","slug":"amid-shifting-political-winds-canada-gets-more-of-the-spotlight-on-the-uns-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/906655\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid shifting political winds, Canada gets more of the spotlight on the UN\u2019s stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.Justin Tang\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

For years, Canada was a trouper in the drama of international affairs. An adept and experienced contributor, it didn\u2019t often draw the spotlight when world leaders gathered at the UN each September. <\/p>\n

This year, the nation of 41 million has a new posture on the planet\u2019s biggest diplomatic stage. <\/p>\n

Since a watershed speech to the World Economic Forum in January, Prime Minister Mark Carney has become a leading voice of what he and some others call \u201cmiddle powers.\u201d He has urged them to band together to update and preserve the international order, and protect their own interests, in an era of flexes by the United States and other global giants. <\/p>\n

And he has shown himself willing to walk the walk when faced with U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs, insults and cavalier talk of annexation. Carney rejected what he said were unacceptable U.S. trade demands and walked away from talks last month. Bluntly hedging his country\u2019s decades-long bet on U.S. trade and partnership, he has been courting other prospects \u2013 Canada might even become the European Union\u2019s first associate member. <\/p>\n

Carney, other world leaders launch effort to spur middle power co-operation<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPartners are working with Canada because Canada\u2019s predictable, reliable and principled in a world that\u2019s anything but,\u201d Carney told Canadian media at a news conference at the UN Tuesday as the General Assembly\u2019s big meeting got into full swing. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the international community\u2019s premier gathering of the year. And to Carney, it\u2019s an opportunity to demonstrate Canada\u2019s vision of \u201cvalues-based realism\u201d that\u2019s \u201cboth principled and pragmatic\u201d \u2013 part commitment to such values as freedom, human rights and sustainability, part clear-eyed, \u201ccalibrated alliances\u201d with partners that won\u2019t sign onto the whole list. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s frankly practical talk for a forum that\u2019s prone to either diplomatic caution or soaring rhetoric, be it doomsaying, idealistic or, often, both. And Carney is finding an ear. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s moving fast and building coalitionsOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Since a watershed speech to the World Economic Forum in January, Prime Minister Mark Carney has become a leading voice of what he and some others call ‘middle powers.’ANGELA WEISS\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Canada and a half-dozen other countries launched a new group Monday meant to stand up for economic co-operation and UN-style international collaboration. An air traffic control mess at New York airports kept Carney from making it to the \u201cpartners for multilateralism\u201d kickoff event at the UN Monday night, but his schedule Tuesday included personal meetings with Jordan\u2019s king, the presidents of Chile and Angola, and an Emirati cabinet minister. <\/p>\n

He also co-hosted a meeting on the long-elusive two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pledged $100-million in humanitarian and security funding for Palestinians. Canada last year joined more than 150 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, over the objections of Israel and its key ally, the U.S. <\/p>\n

Asked whether he interacted Tuesday with Trump or members of his administration, Carney replied that he saw the huge meeting of world leaders as a chance to \u201cmeet those whom you don\u2019t normally see.\u201d He did attend Trump\u2019s speech at the assembly, where the president made no mention of Canada \u2013 the country on the other side of the world\u2019s longest international border, and now on the other end of a deepening trade war. <\/p>\n

Trump defends Iran war in address to UN General Assembly, claims agreement is close<\/a><\/p>\n

After speaking Wednesday at a UN meeting about oceans, Carney heads back to Canada for other commitments. Foreign Minister Anita Anand is set to deliver the country\u2019s UN speech Saturday. <\/p>\n

She said in an interview Tuesday that the address \u201cwill be very much about implementing the middle power strategy\u201d that Carney has articulated \u2013 memorably when he told the World Economic Forum that as great power rivalries increasingly shake the international system, \u201cmiddle powers must act together, because if we\u2019re not at the table, we\u2019re on the menu.\u201d (There\u2019s no official list of \u201cmiddle powers,\u201d but the term is often understood to mean countries that aren\u2019t superpowers or their proxies but have some sway in global politics due to diplomatic or other strengths.)<\/p>\n

Carney\u2019s \u201cmessage resonates with many audiences, particularly those in the global North,\u201d says University of Ottawa international affairs professor Srdjan Vucetic. <\/p>\n

He noted that the prime minister\u2019s leadership is resonating at home, too. Carney, who took office in March, 2025, enjoys high approval ratings from Canadians. Many are galled by Trump\u2019s remarks about making their country the U.S.\u2019s \u201c51st state,\u201d his insistence on referring to Lake Ontario as \u201cLake America\u201d and his trade policies. In Toronto, Canada\u2019s most populous city, some neighbourhoods are dotted with lawn signs encouraging eligible U.S. expatriates to vote absentee, and at least one coffee shop has crossed the Americano drink off its menu, substituting \u201cCanadiano\u201d instead. <\/p>\n

Carney seeks to increase non-U.S. tradeOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

From left to right: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Saudi representative Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.TOBY MELVILLE\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Carney, 61, a former central bank chief with a doctorate in economics, aims to double Canada\u2019s non-U.S. trade within a decade. He convened hundreds of international investment firm executives for a Canadian investment summit last week and is hoping for a trade deal with India, among others, by year\u2019s end. <\/p>\n

His government has touted security, defence and economic agreements with a roster of countries over the past year, and he has envisioned Canada as potentially forging an economic bridge of sorts between the EU and Pacific Rim countries. <\/p>\n

His international efforts have drawn some questions, as when he became the first Canadian prime minister in over a quarter-century to visit Saudi Arabia. Predecessor Justin Trudeau\u2019s government had assailed Saudi Arabia\u2019s human rights record, spurring a five-year diplomatic split. The two countries restored full diplomatic relations in 2023. <\/p>\n

Analysis: Trump uses UN address to threaten and deride foes and allies alike, as usual<\/a><\/p>\n

Carney said at the time of the July visit that he cares deeply about human rights, that there\u2019s no point in \u201clecturing countries from afar,\u201d and that engaging with them doesn\u2019t convey approval of their every move. <\/p>\n

At his UN news conference Tuesday, he said his approach \u201cmeans actively, actively taking on the world as it is, not passively waiting for a world we wish to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a strategy that, I believe, has already made our country stronger,\u201d he added, \u201cbut we\u2019ve only just begun.\u201d <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Canada and a half-dozen other countries launched a new group Monday meant to stand up for economic co-operation and UN-style international collaboration.Justin Tang\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":906656,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,43,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,44,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,41,39,42,40,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-906655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-headlines","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-news","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/906656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}