Canadians may be extremely divided, but there is one thing they can all agree on: They don’t like Donald Trump.
Ahead of a referendum vote that could potentially put Alberta on the path toward independence, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged province residents at a rally in Calgary Thursday night to remain united in the face of pressure from foreign actors.
“The world has become more dangerous and divided,” Carney said. “Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us.”
Carney’s biggest moment of the night was when he spoke about fast-tracking the Pacific Link pipeline, formerly the West Coast Pipeline, connecting oil-rich Alberta to British Columbia.
The prime minister promised that the pipeline would reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States—and the crowd exploded into cheers.
“Careful, they might think that’s election interference. A little touchy,” Carney joked, as the audience laughed and cheered. “We’re not. We’re getting on with it. We are getting on with it.”
It was a major jab—one that is sure to get under Trump’s skin. As it stands, his rallies are more likely to devolve into fistfights than standing ovations.
Since Trump launched his trade war against America’s closest neighbor—leveling tariffs of up to 50 percent on hundreds of goods—relations have been icy, and keep getting icier. The White House has issued a torrent of threats, including promises to use “economic force” to annex Canada, and hints at other more direct methods, such as forced annexation. But Carney has already begun looking to expand the country’s trade partnerships in Europe.