Trump revokes Canada's invitation to join Board of Peace
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew international attention this week with comments about a "rupture" in the US-led global order.
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WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump on Thursday (Jan 22) withdrew an invitation for Canada to join his newly constituted Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.
Trump's about-face follows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he openly decried powerful nations using economic integration as weapons and tariffs as leverage.
"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," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post directed at Carney.
Neither Carney's office nor the White House immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment on Thursday evening.
Last week, Carney's office said he had been invited to serve on the board and planned to accept.
Carney received a rare standing ovation in Davos after the speech, in which he urged nations to accept the end of a rules-based global order.
Canada, which recently signed a trade deal with China, can show how "middle powers" might act together to avoid being victimised by American hegemony, he added.
He also said that the US-led global system of governance was enduring a “rupture”.
"Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion."
In an apparent warning against efforts to appease major powers, Carney said countries like Canada can no longer hope that "compliance will buy safety".
"It won't," he said.
Trump retorted that Canada "lives because of the United States", and told listeners in Davos that Carney should be grateful for the United States’ previous largesse.
"Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements," he added, addressing Carney directly.
The withdrawal of Canada's invitation came hours after Trump officially launched the board, which was initially meant to cement a Gaza ceasefire.
Permanent members must help fund the board with a payment of US$1 billion each, according to Trump.
"Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do," Trump said in Switzerland on Thursday. "And we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.
The board's establishment was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of Trump's Gaza peace plan, and UN spokesperson Rolando Gomez said on Thursday that UN engagement with the board would only be in that context.
Member nations include Argentina, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan and Türkiye. Other US allies, such as Britain, France and Italy, have indicated they will not join for now.
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