Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says in a new interview that he has reviewed military plans to respond to a U.S. invasion.
Carney said he was stirred to action by President Donald Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state.
“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk,” Carney said in an interview with The New York Times.
The outlet noted that Carney suggested “he had carefully examined the possibility of U.S.-led military action, but declined to discuss in detail what that involved.”
Mark Carney’s government spent time preparing for a US military invasion of Canada. The country that rejected a good deal, got Lake America, got tariffs, got car companies leaving, and treats China better than America on trade is now war gaming against its southern neighbor.…
— Proud American Studios (@proudamericanst) September 24, 2026
“That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case, but it would be irresponsible not to” prepare, he said.
Despite that fear, Carney said he speaks “frequently” to Trump and that they had spoken “a number of times” since this summer’s trade talks fizzled.
“From my perspective, we have a good relationship in the sense of we can pick up the phone and talk to each other about issues,” he said.
“He’s direct. I’m direct in terms of where positions are. It’s much more efficient that way, and so you know that exists and that will continue to exist,” he added.
Mark Carney is dumb. https://t.co/6r3KH1Kziq
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 24, 2026
As noted by the BBC, when he was sworn in to replace former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney made clear he wanted to keep the U.S. at a distance.
“We will never, in any shape or form, be part of the U.S.,” Carney said in March 2025.
In February 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Canada should become our Cherished 51st State.”
I’m a proud Canadian but the idea that Carney could “prepare” us against an American invasion is objectively absurd. What preparations was he making? Changing over the mints to make American cash? Perhaps the media should focus on what the govt is actually doing.
— Phil Crisco (@4thlinewinger) September 24, 2026
However, Trump had been bandying the phrase around months before that without any suggestion of an invasion.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in December 2024.
“I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” Trump wrote.
For a PM who talks as if the U.S. is a threat…even floating how Canada would respond to an invasion🙄
…it is striking that Carney keeps giving the real interviews to the New York Times, WSJ, and Bloomberg. Canadians get the CBC recap the next morning.The audience he is… https://t.co/dpA757ykqE
— Canada has gone mad 🍎 (@HaveWeAllGoneM1) September 24, 2026
As noted by The Hill, the Trump administration has met with members of the Alberta Prosperity Project, which advocates separating western, rural Canada from the liberal metropolitan eastern provinces.
The White House noted in a statement about the meetings that “administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups,” but that “no support or commitments were conveyed.”
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