Canada wants to avoid 'subordination' via strategic partnership with Australia

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged middle powers to forge deeper alliances Wednesday to protect their sovereignty, warning that smaller nations risk "subordination" when they negotiate alone with global superpowers.

"Countries cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes their source of subordination," Carney said at the Lowy Institute think-tank in Sydney, Australia.

Noting that Canada's priority was to strengthen its capabilities first, he said, "Canada's strategic imperative is to build sovereign capabilities and resilience in these critical sectors at home, first and foremost. But with trusted partners like Australia to ensure that integration is never again the source of our subordination."

He added that "true sovereignty can't be achieved in isolation. It requires diversification and partnership."

Carney also argued that major powers leave smaller nations in a weakened position when forced to negotiate bilaterally. "When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness, we accept what's offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. And this isn't sovereignty. It's the performance of sovereignty," he said.

Explaining that his visit to Australia focused on the expansion of a critical minerals alliance between Canada and Australia, Carney described the partnership as creating "the largest mineral reserve held by trusted democratic nations."

He noted that together, the two countries produce more than one-third of global lithium, one-third of uranium and more than 40% of iron ore, with a combined $25 billion available to fast-track projects globally.

Carney framed the partnership not as a defensive measure, but as a foundation for building broader coalitions among like-minded democracies.

"Australia and Canada can't compel like the great powers, but we can convene," he said. "We can set the agenda, shape the rules, and organize and build capacity through coalitions that deliver results at speed and global scale."

He pointed to two key advantages middle powers hold over hegemons: legitimacy and trust, qualities he said Canada and Australia had built over a century.

Carney also highlighted the collective weight of middle powers, noting that a coalition of Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea would have a GDP larger than the United States and triple the trade flows of China.

On relations with Beijing, Carney acknowledged the need for a careful reset, stating that Canada is not heavily integrated with China and is recalibrating the relationship with clear boundaries.

"I would say, we take from Australia a number of lessons in terms of how to engage with China," he said, adding that during his first meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, the Chinese president stressed the importance of direct, private communication over public pressure.