In a notable diplomatic fallout, Donald Trump has rescinded the invitation extended to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to join his Board of Peace. This decision comes in the wake of a series of sharp exchanges between the two leaders during their addresses at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Carney had previously commented on the invitation, indicating that Canada had set conditions before committing to the $1 billion membership fee aimed at aiding Gaza’s reconstruction. The tension between the two escalated, culminating in Carney’s public dismissal of Trump’s assertion that “Canada lives because of the United States.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced, “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”

The Daily Mail has yet to receive a comment from Prime Minister Carney regarding this development. During his time in Davos, Carney criticized the practice of larger powers exerting pressure on smaller nations, notably omitting any direct mention of Trump. Upon returning to Canada, Carney addressed Trump’s Davos remarks head-on, asserting, “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.” He emphasized the strong partnership between Canada and the U.S., spanning economic, security, and cultural domains, but firmly stated, “We are masters in our home; this is our own country, it’s our future, the choice is up to us.”

Carney departed Davos before Trump launched his Board of Peace, intended to spearhead efforts in maintaining a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Trump has made contentious remarks about potentially incorporating Canada as the 51st state, even sharing an altered map of the U.S. that included Canada, Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba. In Davos, Trump expressed that Canada benefits from numerous “freebies” from the U.S. and should exhibit more gratitude. He suggested that Carney’s remarks at Davos reflected a lack of such gratitude. Trump also mentioned Canada’s interest in joining the “Golden Dome,” a multibillion-dollar missile defense initiative he aims to have operational by 2029, the end of his term.

In a speech before a cabinet retreat in Quebec City, Carney said staying true to Canada’s values is key to maintaining its sovereignty. ‘We can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to be warped toward authoritarianism and exclusion; it can still bend toward progress and justice,’ Carney said. Carney said ‘Canada must be a beacon — an example to a world at sea.’ He added that in a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism, Canada can show how diversity is a strength, not a weakness. ‘There are billions of people who aspire to what we have built: a pluralistic society that works,’ Carney said. He said Canada delivers shared prosperity and has a democracy that chooses to protect the vulnerable against the powerful.

‘It’s a great country for everyone. It is the greatest country in the world to be a regular person. You don’t have to be born rich, or to a landed family. You don’t have to be a certain color or worship a certain god,’ he said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick earlier complained about Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum. ‘Give me a break,’ Lutnick said on Bloomberg TV. ‘They have the second best deal in the world and all I got to do is listen to this guy whine and complain.’ Canada has been shielded from the worst impacts of Trump’s tariffs by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as USMCA, but the agreement is up for a mandatory review this year.

In Davos, Carney urged countries below the top tier of global power to continue multilateral cooperation with a new, ‘dense web of connections’ as a response to Trump’s plans to take over Greenland. ‘Great powers can afford for now to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, and the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not,’ the Canadian prime minister said. ‘In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice: compete with each other for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact,’ he said. ‘(We) argue the middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.’ Carney strongly opposed US aspirations to expand its Arctic territory. ‘We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future.’

Trump unveiled his Board of Peace in Davos Friday, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and almost all other European nations are also holding off, with fears of a new standoff developing after a tentative solution was found to the bitter spat over Trump’s demands for Greenland. Critics have warned that the organization – which has a $1billion fee for permanent membership – appears to be an attempt to supplant the UN. Originally meant to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board’s charter makes no reference to the Middle East crisis. However, the charter reportedly makes no specific reference to Gaza, instead describing the board as ‘an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict’.

Key US allies have expressed skepticism, with France outright refusing to participate and Italy also delaying a decision. Denmark – at the heart of the row over Trump’s Greenland grab – has not been invited even though Russian puppet regime Belarus is on the list. The countries who had representatives at the event were Bahrain, Morocco, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and Uzbekistan. Trump says he will serve as chairman of the board, control funds, and personally designate any successor. The organization’s rules apparently say that member states will serve a maximum of three years, unless $1billion is contributed within the first year. A US official confirmed to the Daily Mail that there is no requirement to contribute the funds, but those who do are granted permanent membership rather than a three-year term.