Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada remains open to deeper economic integration with the United States as the country prepares for a critical review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement later this summer.
Speaking at the Global Progress Action Summit in Toronto on Saturday, Carney suggested Ottawa is willing to explore expanded continental co-operation in strategic sectors as part of future trade discussions.
“Canada remains open to deeper integration,” Carney told an audience of international policy leaders and progressive lawmakers, adding that options related to a “fortress North America” model in selected sectors remain under consideration.
The comments offer one of the clearest signals yet about Canada’s negotiating posture ahead of the upcoming CUSMA review process involving Canada, the United States and Mexico.
While the Carney government has emphasized that it is not rushing toward a complete renegotiation of the agreement, the prime minister also stressed the importance of reducing Canada’s overreliance on the American market.
“We need to build new trade relationships in order to move from reliance to resilience,” Carney said.
The government has increasingly promoted a strategy of diversifying trade partnerships globally while simultaneously maintaining strong North American economic ties.
Mélanie Joly reinforced that message during a panel discussion at the summit, noting that Canada is actively pursuing new trade agreements and export opportunities around the world.
“Our goal is to double our non-U.S. exports,” Joly said, pointing to ongoing international outreach efforts by the federal government.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand also described the current geopolitical climate as an opportunity for Canada to strengthen its international leadership role and deepen partnerships with allies beyond North America.
Trade and tariff tensions dominated much of the summit discussion, particularly amid growing concerns over protectionism, supply chain vulnerabilities and geopolitical instability linked to conflicts abroad.
Among the international participants was former U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, who criticized recent American trade policies under President Donald Trump.
Buttigieg argued that “America First” policies have increasingly isolated the United States from long-standing allies and weakened partnerships that historically strengthened North American economic leadership.
The upcoming CUSMA review is expected to become one of the most significant economic and political negotiations facing Canada over the next year, especially as concerns grow around tariffs, industrial competitiveness, energy security and continental supply chains.
Carney’s remarks suggest Canada may pursue a dual-track strategy — maintaining strong economic integration with the United States while aggressively expanding trade relationships elsewhere to reduce long-term dependency on a single market.