Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has voiced clear disapproval over the UK’s decision to invite U.S. President Donald Trump for a second state visit, saying the gesture did little to ease tensions between Canada and the United States.
In an interview with Sky News, Carney said Canadians were not pleased, especially as Trump continues to make remarks that question Canada’s sovereignty.
The comments come just weeks before King Charles III is set to visit Canada for a historic royal engagement. Carney linked the King’s upcoming appearance in Parliament to broader concerns about Canadian identity and independence, which have become more pressing following Trump’s repeated suggestion that Canada could be the 51st state of the U.S.
Earlier this year, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer extended an invitation to Trump during a meeting at the White House. While Carney stopped short of directly criticizing Starmer or Buckingham Palace, he made it clear that the timing of the gesture was not well received in Canada. He stressed that the move occurred during a period when Canada was openly addressing issues tied to its national sovereignty.
Trump’s return to the White House has reignited old tensions between Washington and Ottawa. In recent months, he has continued to refer to the U.S.-Canada border as “an artificially drawn line” and has talked openly about Canada as if it were up for annexation. Carney responded to those remarks firmly, stating that Canada is “not for sale, ever.”
Carney met with Trump last week in Washington to discuss a new framework for trade and security. During that meeting, Trump reportedly repeated the 51st state comments, shifting from jest to what Carney described as a more deliberate tone. “He came from a place where he recognised that was not going to happen,” Carney said, signaling that while the rhetoric may have softened, the sentiment still lingers.
Meanwhile, Canada is preparing for a significant royal event later this month. King Charles III will not only visit the country but will also read the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament—an act rarely performed by the monarch and seen as a symbolic reaffirmation of Canada’s distinct national identity. The last time a reigning monarch took on this duty in Canada was Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
The UK government has remained silent on Carney’s comments, and Buckingham Palace declined to respond. The visit by King Charles is expected to be rich in ceremony, but it will also carry the weight of diplomacy at a time when Canada’s place in the global order feels more precarious than in recent memory.
With U.S.-Canada relations in a fragile state and Trump continuing to stir controversy, Carney appears determined to reinforce Canada’s autonomy—both through words and symbolic gestures. The King’s upcoming presence in Parliament is being cast as more than tradition; it is a quiet but firm statement of who holds sovereignty in Ottawa.