The Foreign Desk The Foreign Desk Exclusive: Canada prime minister Mark Carney on the new world order
Mar 11, 2026
Mark Carney, former central bank governor turned Canadian prime minister, discusses middle powers shaping global order. He talks coalition-building with like-minded states. He covers a pivot to the Indo-Pacific and repairing China ties. He outlines modernizing defence, cyber and quantum resilience, and the Canada Strong national brand.
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Act Fast To Shape The New World Order
- Speed and dense webs of connections matter during the current global rupture.
- Carney urges rapid engagement to assemble multiple coalitions now while the kaleidoscope of global order is being reshaped.
Canada Rebalances Toward The Indo-Pacific
- Canada is deepening Indo-Pacific ties across trade, defense and critical minerals.
- Carney lists Japan, Korea, Australia and India as priority partners, noting Japan supplies major investment and automotive production in Canada.
Defense Spend Doubles As Industrial Strategy
- Defense investment blends pure military spending with dual-use resilience like cyber and AI.
- Carney frames C$500bn over a decade including over-the-pole radar, cyber cooperation with Japan, and quantum computing for protection and commercial benefit.