Mark Carney prepared for the possibility of Trump ordering military action against Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Margaret Kirk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sault Star

By The-14 Media

September 27, 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has prepared for the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump could order military action against Canada. 

“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk,” Carney told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Carney added that such a scenario was “not a base case,” but said it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it. He did not provide any details about what those preparations involved.

The Globe and Mail reported in January that the Armed Forces had modelled a hypothetical U.S. invasion and Canada’s response, but stressed that it was only a theoretical exercise, not a military plan.

In his interview with The New York Times, Carney also discussed reducing Canada’s reliance on American-linked technology and diversifying some of the country’s economic and defence relationships.

At the same time, Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state. Trump has said he could use economic pressure against Canada rather than using military force.

But U.S. President Donald Trump cannot simply be taken at his word. His presidency has a record of broken, changed or abandoned agreements and commitments, adding uncertainty to how governments should assess his future decisions.

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