A Canadian Prime Minister borrowing one of Donald Trump's favorite lines isn't something you hear every day.
Mark Carney did it on stage at the Economic Club of New York this week.
Carney told a room of New York industry leaders and financiers that Canada and the US need a "new partnership."
His framing was direct: a stronger, more independent Canada can selectively help "make America great again."
The pitch hit four sectors most hammered by Trump's tariffs - autos, aluminum, energy, and critical minerals. Carney also nodded at the "Fortress North America" idea floated by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, which calls for tighter continental cooperation as Chinese competition heats up.
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The strongest part of the pitch was on energy. Carney said the US is facing an "acute" energy shortage as the AI buildout speeds up.
Canadian oil, natural gas, electricity, aluminum, potash, nickel, and copper can help fill that gap, he argued.
He pointed to a fast-tracked graphite mine in Quebec and a major BC liquefied natural gas (LNG, or natural gas cooled into liquid form for shipping) deal with Germany as proof Canada is moving fast on the resources the world needs.
The framing was deliberate. Canada wants to be the supplier, not the dependent.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is making the opposite case.
He said this week that some tariffs on Canadian goods will stay, and US-Mexico CUSMA negotiations are scheduled for the summer with no dates set for Canada.
Greer specifically called out autos as an area where the US wants to dominate and "suppress Canadian manufacturing" through aggressive tariff use.
That's a long way from Carney's pitch on autos as a shared opportunity.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Carney's speech as "buzzword-laden," setting up the political fight ahead of the July 1 CUSMA review deadline.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc's office said a Washington trip is being planned, though no formal trade talks are underway between the two countries.
The CUSMA review is the regular checkpoint on the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement. The July 1 trigger date is when each country has to formally signal whether they want to continue, renegotiate, or exit.
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