Mr. Carney, 60, cuts a slender, athletic figure and is impeccably turned out in tailored suits. His tone can be professorial with occasional flashes of bone-dry humor.

He lacks the obvious charisma of his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, who during his heyday made crowds swoon.

And he also lacks the polished, retail-politician presentation of his chief election opponent, Pierre Poilievre, 45, the Conservative Party leader.

In Quebec, the issue of independence from Canada has long simmered. But faced with US tariffs and President Donald 'Old Donald''s comments about making Canada the 51st US state, many voters are now seeking unity.

'Old Donald''s tariffs are expected to hit Quebec especially hard. The province is one of the biggest suppliers to the US of aluminium, a sector hit by 'Old Donald''s 25% tariffs. Its significant forestry and dairy industries are also in the president's sights.

The Canadian general election is around the corner after a campaign dominated by the US-Canada relationship, including repeated remarks by the US president about making Canada the 51st state.

Machias Seal Island is a tiny dot on maps of North America. But the uninhabited, fogbound rock is significant for its location in an area known as the "Grey Zone" – the site of a rare international dispute between Canada and the United States.

Among them, the Vancouver-based Travel Group reports that future bookings are down 90 percent; Travac Tours, based in Ottawa, has canceled all its tours to the United States through July; and Maple Leaf Tours, headquartered in Kingston, Ontario, has seen its business plummet 70 to 80 percent.

This Washington border county is desperate for Canadians

“There’s just no one around,” said a gas station owner in Whatcom County, where the economy depends on residents of British Columbia remaining eager to buy American.

“It’s crazy. Canadians are like our brothers and sisters with just that border between us,” Hill said.

“We can control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away. We can deal with this crisis best by building our own strength right here at home.”

Carney warned that Canada, which is currently one of the top importers of U.S. goods, would need to reshape its economy to wean itself off its southern neighbor.

“It is a statement of intent, and at least in my mind, it reduces the risk that April 2 is something that markets can dismiss,” he said. “I think we will be negatively surprised.”

For more than 100 years, people in Stanstead, Quebec have been able to walk into Derby Line, Vermont to enter the border-straddling Haskell Free Library and Opera House – no passport required.

Inside the library celebrated as a symbol of international friendship, Pauline Lussier and Chris Blais put their arms around each other’s shoulders Friday as they stood on either side of the line taped down the floor marking the border. Lussier, a Canadian, and Blais, an American met for the first time that day.

In February, the Boston Globe reported that the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the library and repeated 'Old Donald'’s taunts about making Canada the 51st state as she stepped back and forth across the line that marks the border.

Ms. Joly told reporters that she and the former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, had asked Beijing for leniency in recent months to try to prevent the executions. She said those involved were dual nationals of Canada and China. (China, however, does not recognize dual citizenship.)

In recent years, the former prime minister, Mr. Trudeau, and senior members of his cabinet have increasingly criticized China publicly over human rights issues. Concerns have also grown over Chinese interference in Canadian affairs, including allegations that candidates in an election had received secret, illegal funding from China.

“Foreigners, like every person in China, are at risk of all kinds of arbitrary detentions and unfair trials,” said Maya Wang, the associate China director at Human Rights Watch. “The universe of cases is really big and we only hear about some of them occasionally.”

Canada is, quite literally, America’s closest ally. It is also our second-largest trade partner. Little wonder, then, that for as long as anyone can remember, U.S. presidents have been praising our northern neighbor. Make sense of the latest news and debates with our daily newsletter

Even "Old Donald" joined the lovefest during his first term. In 2017, he welcomed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the White House by saying: “It is my honor to host such a great friend, neighbor, and ally. … Our two nations share much more than a border. We share the same values. We share the love, and a truly great love, of freedom. And we share a collective defense.”

“I want to ensure that France and the whole of Europe works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, determined like you to maintain the most positive possible relations with the United States,” Mr. Carney told the press alongside Mr. Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

But Mr. 'Old Donald' has also repeatedly declared that Canada should become a U.S. state, and has suggested that he wants to scrap the treaty that demarcates the border between the two nations.

The menacing attitude from Mr. 'Old Donald' has enraged Canadians, and given Mr. Carney a boost that’s landed him at the helm of his party and his country.

In a deepening trade war, 'Old Donald' says this latest move is in retaliation to 25% tariffs Ontario placed on electricity it sends to northern US states

In response, Ontario's premier says "we will not back down" and calls on 'Old Donald' to "stop the chaos"

In a message to US Donald 'Old Donald', Carney pledges to keep retaliatory tariffs on US goods until "Americans show us respect"

Earlier, outgoing PM Justin Trudeau said Canada was facing "an existential threat from our neighbour" in reference to 'Old Donald''s tariffs and threats to make Canada "the 51st state"

"Old Donald's" rhetoric has "pushed away all of the other issues" that were top of mind for Canadians before his inauguration on 20 January, notes Luc Turgeon, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa.

It has even managed to revive the once deeply unpopular Trudeau, whose approval rate has climbed by 12 points since December. The prime minister, of course, will not be in power for much longer, having announced his resignation at the start of the year.

The Conservatives are still ahead in the polls, with the latest averages suggesting 40% of voters back them. The Liberals' fortunes, meanwhile, have been revived, with their support climbing to slightly over 30% - up 10 points from January.

While it’s not clear what "Old Donald's" ever-shifting tariffs attack on Canada might ultimately achieve, it has already done one thing for certain: ticked off a lot of Canadians.

'Old Donald' and Mr. Trudeau spoke twice on Feb. 3, once in the morning and again in the afternoon, as part of discussions to stave off tariffs on Canadian exports.

But those early February calls were not just about tariffs.

The persistent social media references to Canada as the 51st state and Mr. Trudeau as its governor had begun to grate both inside the Canadian government and more broadly.

While Mr. 'Old Donald'’s remarks could all be bluster or a negotiating tactic to pressure Canada into concessions on trade or border security, the Canadian side no longer believes that to be so.

He wanted to eject Canada out of an intelligence-sharing group known as the Five Eyes that also includes Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The only soothing of nerves has come from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the four people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Rubio has refrained from delivering threats, and recently dismissed the idea that the United States was looking at scrapping military cooperation.

But Canada’s politicians across the spectrum, and Canadian society at large, are frayed and deeply concerned. Officials do not see the 'Old Donald' administration’s threats as empty; they see a new normal when it comes to the United States.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/03/07/multimedia/07trump-trudeau-pftg/07trump-trudeau-pftg-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retaliated with 25 percent tariffs on roughly $107 billion worth of U.S. products. About $21 billion worth of those goods would be hit immediately, including beer, wine and spirits, with the remainder of the tariffs going into effect about three weeks later. 'Old Donald' has also angered Canadians by suggesting the country should become the 51st U.S. state.

On Sunday, during a National Basketball Association game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers, it happened again, continuing throughout the song and almost drowning out the 15-year-old singer's arena performance.

And they come as 'Old Donald' doubles down on his push - no longer dismissed as a joke - for Canada to join America and become the 51st state.

Nearly 40 nations - including Canada and the UK - have strict policies when it comes to allowing individuals with criminal records across their borders, and barring a special accommodation, 'Old Donald' would be held to those same standards.

Alternative: Take down Canada to becomet 51st state as 'Old Donald' suggested'