Carney says Canada, Australia hold ‘rare convening power’ in Parliament speech

Carney's words built on the headline-grabbing speech he delivered in January at the World Economic Forum, in which he said the old world order had been ruptured.

Canada and Australia have a “rare” ability to help convene a coalition of middle powers because their allies know they can be trusted, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a speech to Australia’s Parliament on Thursday.

Carney’s words built on the headline-grabbing speech he delivered in January at the World Economic Forum, in which he said the old world order had been ruptured and calling on middle powers to unite to prevent hegemons from dictating how the world is going to work.

“In a post-rupture world, the nations that are trusted and can work together will be quicker to the punch, more effective in their responses and more proactive in shaping outcomes, and ultimately those countries will be more secure and prosperous,” he said in Australia Thursday.

“Middle powers like Australia and Canada hold this rare convening power. Because others know we mean what we say and we will match our values with our actions. Canada and Australia have earned this trust throughout our history. The question now is what we do with it.”

Carney made no mention of the escalating conflict in the Middle East in his address to Australian Parliament.

During his speech, Carney said Canada and Australia had signed a series of new agreements on critical minerals, including Australia joining the G7 critical minerals alliance.

The prime minister also spoke about the countries’ plan to modernize their bilateral tax and investment treaty.

“The world will always be driven by great powers,” said Carney. “But it can also be shaped by middle powers that trust each other enough and act with speed and purpose.”