During the visit to the village in County Mayo where his family originated, Prime Minister Carney was presented a poem by celebrated local poet Ger Reidy which he later quoted in his closing news conference:
As democracies are subjected to coercion,
We look to Canada as we have done before,
To protect the hard lessons gleaned from the rubble,
To reset the world as it slowly forgives,
To defend civilized values despite the struggle,
So we can all resume living our sacred ordinary lives.
As the Prime Minster noted, “This is what the people of Ireland want, what the people of Canada want, and what people want around the world. To live their ordinary lives as they see fit without the shocks from abroad!”
Carleton University International Affairs Expert, Fen Hampson, in an interview with CTV, observed that although the Canadian-U.S. relationship will remain important, Canada is aligning with Europe and like-minded middle powers. “Canada is picking its team” commented Hampson, “and it’s Team Europe and not Team USA.” As the Prime Minster noted, it is always important to have options. This is the context in which the Canadian government is approaching its relationship with the U.S. including the CUSMA review.
