Carney pushes middle powers bloc at UN amid US pressure on Canada

At the UN, Mark Carney urged middle powers to coordinate more closely as Canada widened its diplomatic outreach. The push signals Ottawa's effort to reduce dependence on the US while keeping a values-driven foreign policy.Stock photo used for illustrationCanada is using this year's UN General Assembly to push a bigger role for what Prime Minister Mark Carney calls the world's "middle powers". Carney has urged such countries to work together to protect their interests and help update the international order at a time of growing pressure from the United States and other major powers.The shift follows a tougher Canadian approach to Washington under Carney, who has pushed back against President Donald Trump's tariffs, insults and talk of annexation. Last month, Carney said no to what he described as unacceptable US trade demands and walked away from talks, while also looking to deepen ties elsewhere, including with the European Union.At a news conference at the UN on Tuesday, Carney said, "Partners are working with Canada because Canada's predictable, reliable and principled in a world that's anything but." He said the gathering of world leaders was a chance to present Canada's approach of "values-based realism" that is "both principled and pragmatic". The approach, he said, combines commitments to freedom, human rights and sustainability with "calibrated alliances" with partners that may not agree on every issue.Canada and six other countries on Monday launched a new grouping aimed at supporting economic cooperation and UN-style international collaboration. Carney missed the launch event on Monday night because of disruption caused by air traffic problems at New York airports, but on Tuesday he held meetings with Jordan's king, the presidents of Chile and Angola, and an Emirati cabinet minister. He also co-hosted a meeting on the long-stalled two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and announced 100 million Canadian dollars in humanitarian and security funding for Palestinians. Canada last year joined more than 150 countries that have recognised a Palestinian state, despite objections from Israel and the US. Asked whether he had interacted with Trump or members of his administration, Carney said he saw the summit as a chance to "meet those whom you don't normally see". He did attend Trump's address to the General Assembly, in which the US president made no mention of Canada despite the worsening trade dispute between the two neighbours. After speaking on Wednesday at a UN meeting on oceans, Carney is due to return to Canada, while Foreign Minister Anita Anand is scheduled to deliver the country's UN speech on Saturday.Anand said the address "will be very much about implementing the middle power strategy" set out by Carney, including his World Economic Forum line that "middle powers must act together, because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu". University of Ottawa professor Srdjan Vucetic said Carney's message was finding support, "particularly those in the global North". He also said Carney's leadership was resonating in Canada, where the prime minister, who took office in March 2025, has strong approval ratings. Many Canadians have reacted angrily to Trump's remarks about making Canada the US's "51st state", his use of "Lake America" for Lake Ontario, and his trade policy. Carney, 61, a former central bank chief with a doctorate in economics, wants to double Canada's non-US trade within a decade. He brought together hundreds of executives from international investment firms at a Canadian investment summit last week and is aiming for a trade deal with India, among others, by the end of the year. His government has highlighted security, defence and economic agreements with several countries over the past year, and he has spoken of Canada potentially serving as an economic bridge between the EU and Pacific Rim countries.His outreach has also drawn scrutiny, including over his visit in July to Saudi Arabia, the first by a Canadian prime minister in more than 25 years. Justin Trudeau's government had sharply criticised Saudi Arabia's human rights record, leading to a five-year diplomatic split before full ties were restored in 2023. Carney said at the time that he cared deeply about human rights, but there was no point in "lecturing countries from afar", and that engagement did not amount to approval of everything they did. Repeating the broader idea at the UN on Tuesday, he said his approach "means actively, actively taking on the world as it is, not passively waiting for a world we wish to be" and added, "We have a strategy that, I believe, has already made our country stronger, but we've only just begun."Canada's message at the UN this week has been that it wants to work with other middle powers, widen its trade and diplomatic options beyond the US, and pursue what Carney calls a practical but values-driven foreign policy.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 23, 2026 10:22 IST