Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he considered the possibility, however remote, that the United States could invade Canada during a period of trade tensions between the two countries.
Carney made the comment in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday. He said he began weighing the scenario after President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st state.”
“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk. That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case,” Carney told the Times.
Carney said it “would be irresponsible not to” account for such a possibility, framing it as standard contingency planning rather than a prediction that conflict was likely.
The United States and Canada share a border stretching more than 3,000 miles that has remained without significant military incident for more than two centuries. The two countries also maintain deep economic and defense ties, including through NATO and joint continental defense arrangements.
The comments come after months of trade friction between Washington and Ottawa, during which Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state. Carney’s remarks to the Times mark one of the more direct public acknowledgments by a sitting Canadian prime minister that his government has at least considered a U.S. military threat as part of broader risk planning, even while stressing it was not viewed as a likely outcome.
