Carney Says No Single Country or Institution Will Define ‘New World Order’

Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in a press conference at Westport House in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland, on June 14, 2026. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Prime Minister Mark Carney says no single country or institution can provide all the answers in a changing world order, while speaking to reporters in Ireland ahead of the G7 Summit in France.

Carney framed the “new world order” as one shaped by countries choosing what they are willing to support and build together.

“What one can’t do at this point in a rapidly shifting world order is to rely on one set of institutions, one grouping, one country to provide the answers,” Carney told reporters in County Mayo, Ireland, on June 14.

“You have to know what you want, what you need, how to serve your citizens, and then go out and get it.”

Carney had said during a speech the day before in Dublin that the G7 Summit is a place where the “strands” of a “new world order” may be woven.

He noted that the upcoming summit will include countries other than the main G7 nations, such as Brazil, India, Egypt, and Gulf states. He said this will bring a “broader perspective and a broader element of the solution.”

“It’s a recognition that the G7, if it ever did run the world, no longer runs the world or pretends to,” Carney said.

His June 14 remarks came in response to a question about where the United States fits into the “new world order” that Carney has spoken about.

Carney said some countries will be on the same page about issues such as taking action on child safety and artificial intelligence. His government recently unveiled an AI strategy, setting out a plan for how Canada will adopt the technology over the next decade, and also tabled an online harms bill focused on protecting children.

“We will take steps. Not everyone around that table will,” he said. “In some of those circumstances, the United States will be foursquare behind, and in many cases lead, but not all.”

Carney has previously described recent global developments as part of a shifting international order. During his visit to China in January, Carney said Ottawa’s new “strategic partnership” with Beijing “sets us up well for the new world order.”

A few days later, during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney asked middle powers to band together and criticized U.S. tariffs and foreign policy.

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland, on June 14, 2026. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Ireland Visit

On June 14, Carney visited County Mayo, where his grandparents were from before immigrating to Canada in the early 1920s.

While in County Mayo, Carney met with Irish President Catherine Connolly, took part in a tree planting ceremony, attended mass in a local church, and visited the cemetery next to the church where some of his ancestors were buried.

He also attended and delivered remarks at a civic reception hosted by Mayo County Council, where he spoke about his heritage and Canada’s ties to Ireland.

Carney had also received a plaque from the deputy commissioner of the national police and security service of the Republic of Ireland before he left Dublin for County Mayo on the morning of June 14. His grandfather was one of the first men to join the force when it was established in 1922.

His visit marked the first visit to Ireland by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade.

After meeting with Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin on June 13, Carney said Canada will expand cooperation with Ireland in several areas, including food security, AI, health systems, and skills development.

The government said after the meeting that the leaders also agreed to increase security and defence cooperation between Canada and Ireland, and underscored the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement as a “catalyst for economic growth.”

The trade deal provisionally entered into force in 2017 but has not yet been ratified by all EU member states, including Ireland.

Carney’s visit to Ireland came ahead of Ireland assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.

The Conservatives criticized Carney’s Ireland trip, saying Canada “already has trade with Ireland.”

“Making expensive trips to sign fake agreements and advance another country’s trade with other countries does not help the steel, aluminum, forestry and autoworkers who are losing their jobs in Canada right now,” a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s office said.

Carney justified his Ireland visit to reporters on June 14, saying the trade deal with Ireland does not have full ratification and he sees “significant opportunity” with Ireland and the EU more broadly.

The prime minister is set to attend the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian, France, from June 15 to June 17.

The Canadian Press and William Hetherington contributed to this report.