Carney says ‘we’ve got to keep on this track’ as he looks ahead to 2026

In a year-end interview with Global News, Carney said Canada is in a better place that it was when he first became prime minister, but more work lies ahead to grow the economy.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says it will take time for Canadians to see the results of efforts to grow and diversify the economy, but insists “we’ve got to keep on this track.”

In a year-end interview with Global National anchor and executive editor Dawna Friesen, Carney said Canada is already in a better place than it was when he first became prime minister nine months ago, due to a renewed focus on strengthening international relationships and growing domestic industry.

Yet he acknowledged there is more work to be done to address Canadians’ affordability concerns, and that a “relentless” growth agenda is necessary.

“We’re making progress,” he said.

“We’re in a stronger position than we were nine months ago and at the start of this year, but we’ve got to keep going. And we will keep going.”

Carney added the “core” of his government’s agenda is to keep growing the economy and moving away from reliance on the United States, which has hammered Canada with tariffs on multiple sectors.

Uncertainty around the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade (CUSMA) adds further urgency to that project.

“What I would say to Canadians, the good news is virtually everybody wants to do more with Canada,” he said, pointing to a slew of international agreements he’s signed on trade and defence.