OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back Thursday against criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, arguing Canada is outperforming the United States on several key economic measures despite ongoing trade tensions between the two countries.Speaking to reporters in Saguenay, Quebec, Carney highlighted recent Canadian economic indicators a day after Trump called Canada “nasty” and said it had “nasty leadership” during a campaign rally. Earlier Wednesday, Vance also dismissed Canada's economic performance during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, saying the country was “doing terribly.”Without directly mentioning Trump or Vance by name, Carney said Canada has remained focused on strengthening its economy rather than responding to political rhetoric.“We're standing up for Canadian workers, for Canadian businesses, as we always have from the start,” Carney said. “From the start, our focus has been on what we can control. And that's investing in protecting our jobs, investing in the future.” Carney pointed to what he described as stronger labour market performance than the United States.“We're creating jobs at twice the rate of the United States,” he said..He also said Canada is attracting foreign investment at a faster pace than its southern neighbour.“Foreign direct investment, twice the rate of our nearest G7 competitor, which is the United States,” Carney said.The prime minister added that Canada's economy is beginning to show signs of improvement, citing stronger business investment and economic growth.“We are seeing growth pick up in this quarter,” he said. “Most fundamentally what we're seeing is business investment beginning to pick up. And that's because we've kept focused on what we can control.”Carney argued Canada's resource base and workforce position the country well despite uncertainty created by U.S. tariffs.“We have what the world wants, which includes the greatest workers in the world,” he said. The prime minister also criticized the impact of U.S. tariffs on aluminum, saying they have driven up costs for American manufacturers.“Since Americans put their tariffs in, their first tariffs on primary aluminum, the price of aluminum in the United States has gone up 58%,” Carney said. “That's not a good situation for American companies.” His remarks came a day after Trump criticized Canada at a campaign rally, calling the country “nasty” and accusing it of having “nasty leadership.” Earlier the same day, Vance dismissed suggestions that Canada was outperforming the United States economically, telling Fox News that Canada was “doing terribly.”
