Canada’s Carney Calls Türkiye Vital NATO Ally, Sees Scope to Expand Ties

Vaughan, The Gulf Observer: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday described Türkiye as a “vital” ally for Canada within NATO, while highlighting significant potential to expand bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, industry, and advanced manufacturing.

Speaking at a news conference in Vaughan, Carney emphasized Türkiye’s strategic importance within the transatlantic alliance.

“Let me reinforce a few things. One is Türkiye is a vital partner in NATO, a vital partner in a very important and sometimes challenging part of the world,” Carney told reporters.

He also pointed to growing economic opportunities between the two countries, saying Canada and Türkiye could deepen commercial ties across multiple sectors. Carney noted that he began discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September last year and plans to continue those talks.

“In addition, there is tremendous opportunity. We have a series of opportunities to deepen our commercial relationships with Türkiye,” Carney said, adding that cooperation could also extend to defense-related areas and nuclear collaboration.

He further praised Türkiye’s industrial capabilities, describing the country as a global leader in manufacturing, including advanced manufacturing, and said there were clear areas for potential partnership.

“There are areas where we can partner without question,” Carney said.

During the same news conference, the prime minister announced what he described as a “new, more ambitious sovereign path” for Canada’s automotive sector, unveiling a national automotive strategy aimed at accelerating the transition to cleaner transportation.

The plan includes C$2.3 billion in new purchase and lease incentives to encourage adoption of zero-emission vehicles. As part of the policy shift, the government will repeal the previous electric vehicle sales mandate and replace it with more stringent greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicle model years 2027 to 2032.

“We’re tightening by twofold our greenhouse gas emissions standards, and we’re giving the industry the flexibility on how they achieve that,” Carney said.