Canadian Prime Minister Carney: Ottawa was preparing for a possible US invasion

Mr. Carney described a course of action to lessen Canada’s reliance on the United States
Photo: The New York Times

Over the past year, the Canadian government has been working on defense scenarios in case of a possible attack from the United States. This was announced on September 23 by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in an interview with The New York Times.

According to the head of government, Ottawa took seriously the threats of US President Donald Trump to make Canada the "51st state." Carney stressed that the authorities had carefully studied the prospect of a potential military invasion from their southern neighbor.

"I think that in such positions it is your responsibility to calculate such "black swan" type scenarios. It's just risk management. This is not a baseline scenario, but it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it," Carney said.

The Canadian Prime Minister noted that preparations for such a development had forced Ottawa to begin a large-scale reduction in dependence on Washington. In particular, the country plans to completely stop using the Starlink satellite communications system owned by Elon Musk.

In addition, the Canadian government is reviewing the contract for the purchase of 88 American F-35 fighter jets. Instead, Ottawa is considering the possibility of acquiring European analogues. Carney named Swedish Saab Gripen aircraft as one of the options for protecting the Arctic.

Tensions between the two countries have increased amid the fact that the White House has declared discrimination against American goods and a new trade conflict between the United States and Canada. In the context of increasing American protectionism in 2026, the EU authorities suggested that Ottawa consider the possibility of associate membership for Canada in order to strengthen trade ties.

Trump first announced that Canada could become a new American state in December 2024. At the same time, in June 2025, the American leader also stated that he still considers it necessary to include Canada in the country.

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