U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a less than satisfactory response for many Canadians at a press conference Thursday when he was asked about what he and King Charles think about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, and thereby, King Charles is the country’s head of state, but his majesty has offered no comments about Trump’s repeated desire to make it the 51st state.
When Starmer was asked how he feels about it at a joint press conference, he was swiftly interrupted by Trump.
“We’re the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today,” Starmer started, describing the U.K.-U.S. relationship.
But as the prime minister began to say, “we haven’t discussed Canada,” the president cut him off and told him “that’s enough.”
UBC political scientist Stewart Prest says in times like this, Canadians should expect friends and allies to stand up for the country, but it won’t always be the case.
“Because there is always going to be a temptation on the part of any country’s leaders to say ‘If I’m not currently in the crosshairs of the most powerful country in the world — the leader of the most powerful country in the world, I am going to do everything possible just to stay that way,’” said Prest.
In unstable times, he says, historic alliances and friendships can be shaky at best, and this should be taken as a warning sign.
“We have to get out there and make the case clearly that Canada’s sovereignty is in the world’s interest and the defence of it is in the world’s interest.”
Prest says the democratic world is better off standing together against economic extortion, but that won’t happen automatically in unstable times — we’ll have to work for it.
