Stephen Harper urges Canada to cut reliance on the United States at investment summit
Former prime minister Stephen Harper closed the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, warning that Canada must reduce dependence on the United States to protect its sovereignty.
At the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, former prime minister Stephen Harper delivered the event’s closing remarks, emphasizing the need for Canada to lessen its economic reliance on the United States after what he described as U.S. violations of a trade agreement. He asserted that maintaining sovereignty will require accepting short-term costs but will open opportunities for Canada to become an energy superpower, citing the country's strong resource base and rule-of-law environment.
Harper highlighted Canada’s rankings in natural gas, oil, hydroelectricity and uranium production, and praised provincial leaders such as Premier Scott Moe and Premier Danielle Smith for supporting the sector. While acknowledging recent federal measures to accelerate project approvals, he urged further reforms to streamline permitting and regulatory reviews. He concluded by urging the summit to become a recurring forum for building trusted, long-term partnerships.
Why it matters
Harper’s call for reduced U.S. dependence could shape Canada’s trade policy and investment climate.
How this story developed
- Aug 22 Trump slaps 50% tariffs on Canadian imports, Canada vows matching retaliation
- Aug 31 Trump urged Canadian firms to relocate to the United States and labeled Canadian leadership the worst he has encountered.
- Aug 31 Mark Carney described the dispute as an attack and said Canada must respond as if at war.
- Sep 6 Canada announced it will re‑engage trade talks with the United States under industry safeguards.
- Sep 7 EU officials and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are preparing a new partnership that would deepen cooperation in commerce, security, space research and critical minerals. Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce the initiative in her upcoming European Parliament speech, with a summit slated for Canada in October. The talks aim to create a tightly linked alliance that can balance the influence of the United States and China. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has urged the formation of new alliances to counter perceived threats, without directly naming Canada as a US state.
- Sep 8 Reciprocal 50 percent tariffs took effect on both sides of the border.
- Sep 8 Carney announced a diversification agenda toward Europe and China and a new pipeline linking Alberta.
- Sep 9 U.S. administration announced bans on imports of Canadian dairy products, alcoholic beverages and motorcycles, set to take effect in three weeks.
- Sep 9 Prime Minister Carney publicly demanded an end to meme‑filled attacks amid the trade dispute.
- Sep 9 The United States added motor vehicles to the list of goods barred from import beginning at the end of the month.
- Sep 9 The summit, a flagship event aimed at attracting both domestic and overseas capital, will feature over 160 projects seeking investments from $25 million to several hundred million dollars. Harper, now chair of Alberta Investment Management Corp, will speak after Carney’s opening remarks, underscoring that courting foreign money is a cross-party effort. Other keynote speakers include John Graham of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, while senior executives from BlackRock, Barclays and sovereign wealth funds are also expected.
- Sep 11 The Gordie Howe International Bridge was inaugurated as the tariff battle intensified.
- Sep 13 Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Strasbourg to speak to the European Parliament after the commission president’s address.
- Sep 14 Stephen Harper was confirmed to give the closing speech.
In this story
Related stories
37 in this thread