Carney rejects US election interference claims, says Canada will never be 51st state

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected US allegations that Ottawa is interfering in American elections, calling the claims baseless while reaffirming that his country will never become the United States’ 51st state.

“There is no merit to these claims,” Carney told reporters in Istanbul over allegations that Ottawa was interfering in US democratic processes.

Carney said Canada was careful in its diplomatic engagements with the US and had no intention of interfering in its elections.

“We have no intention to interfere with their democratic processes,” he said, adding that Canada’s Global Affairs department had cautioned officials to be mindful of their contacts to avoid providing grounds for “unsubstantiated allegations.”

The remarks come amid tensions between the two neighbors over political relations and trade.

“The president of the United States is under no illusions. It’s absolutely clear where I stand, where Canada stands, where Canadians stand. We will never be the 51st state,” Carney said.

He stressed that Canada was preparing to strengthen its economy and expand international partnerships, arguing that a stronger Canada would also be a better partner for Washington.

“We are going our own way. We’re preparing. We’re strong, and we’re getting stronger,” he said.

On trade, Carney said Ottawa remained ready to negotiate an agreement with Washington that served the interests of both countries but would not rush into a deal for political reasons.

“We are continuing to engage with the US government. We are continuing to be ready to sit down in good faith to negotiate a trade deal that are in both of our interests. Of course, we’re looking for the interests of Canadians. We don’t care about the timing of that. We could sign it this afternoon if the U.S. were there,” Carney said.

When asked about the timing of such an agreement, Carney replied: “It’s up to the United States. They’re a little hard to predict.”