La Malbaie, Quebec – Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly delivered a firm message to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the conclusion of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on Friday: Canada’s sovereignty is not up for discussion.
“What I said to the secretary is Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate, period,” Joly stated during the closing news conference.
She emphasized that there was no room for negotiation. “There’s no argument, there’s no conversation about it, there’s no need to talk about it. You’re here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you’re in our country, you respect our people. Period.”
Carney Responds: “America is Not Canada”
Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed Joly’s sentiments in his first news conference on Friday, strongly rejecting Rubio’s remarks.
“It’s crazy, his point is crazy. That’s it,” Carney said bluntly. “We will never, ever—in any way, shape, or form—be part of the United States. America is not Canada. We are a fundamentally different country.”
While Carney is set to visit France and the U.K. next week to meet with European leaders, he confirmed that he currently has no plans to travel to the United States. However, he noted that he looks forward to speaking with President Donald Trump in the future.
Joly: Canada’s Sovereignty “Not a Joke”
Joly’s remarks come after Trump reiterated his call for Canada to become part of the United States. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Trump claimed that Canada’s independence was unnecessary.
“Canada only works as a state,” Trump stated. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be one of the great states.… If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it, between Canada and the U.S., just a straight artificial line.… Makes no sense.”
Despite the diplomatic friction, Joly said that G7 ministers were committed to focusing on shared priorities. “We decided at the outset of the summit that we were not going to let issues we disagreed on prevent us from working together where we do align,” she said.
Rubio echoed that sentiment, stating that foreign policy often requires working with allies despite disagreements. “You have disagreements with people you like, or find yourself unaligned on an issue with a nation that you work with very closely on a bunch of other things,” he said.
Joly noted that many of her G7 counterparts initially viewed Trump’s remarks about annexing Canada as a joke but that she quickly corrected them. “I made it clear this is not something we find amusing. Canada’s sovereignty is not a joke,” she said.
Canada Seeks to Strengthen Trade Ties Beyond the U.S.
Looking ahead, Joly stressed the need for Canada to reduce economic dependence on the United States and bolster trade within its own borders and with other nations.
“To soften the blow of tariffs being imposed on Canada, provinces need to get rid of internal commercial barriers to boost the flow of interprovincial trade,” she explained.
She also reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to diversifying its trade relationships. “Canada wants to foster new partnerships in the world. We want to be closer to Europe, we want to be closer to Britain. We need to diversify our economy.”
G7 Stands United on Ukraine
On the issue of Ukraine, Joly stated that the G7 is united in supporting a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, which has been endorsed by Kyiv and is now awaiting a response from Moscow.
“Ultimately, the ball is now in Russia’s court when it comes to Ukraine,” she said.
Trump later stated on Friday that there is a “very good chance” of ending the war following discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump also claimed that he had personally requested Putin to spare the lives of “completely surrounded” Ukrainian troops in Kursk, Russia, signaling possible diplomatic efforts toward de-escalation.
As tensions over trade, sovereignty, and global conflicts continue to rise, Canada’s government remains firm in its stance against U.S. annexation rhetoric while seeking to strengthen its global partnerships.
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