Canada’s foreign policy is now all about the Benjamins — or in this case, the Bordens.
What happened: Mark Carney is pivoting Canada’s foreign policy away from a focus on what some might call “promoting our values” and towards striking deals with whoever wants to do business.
- Carney highlighted the contrast with his predecessor yesterday when he told reporters at the G20 summit that his government wouldn’t have a “feminist foreign policy,” something Justin Trudeau and his ministers spoke about often.
- That comment came after Carney announced the United Arab Emirates — a Gulf state not entirely aligned with Canada on a number of human rights matters — would invest $1 billion in critical mineral processing in Canada, and had pledged $70 billion more for other projects.
Plus: Carney also is letting bygones be bygones when it comes to China and India, two countries with which Canada has had a strained relationship lately.
- The PM met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi yesterday, and officials say they will soon start negotiations on a new trade pact.
Why it matters: Carney’s number one foreign policy priority is finding new partners for trade and investment to soften the blow of a trade war with the U.S. Other areas Canada has historically taken an interest in, like international development and human rights, will for now take a backseat.—TS