Washington: US President Donald Trump has withdrawn Canada’s invitation to join his newly announced Board of Peace, a move that has added fresh tension to relations between the two close allies.
The decision was announced by Trump in a social media post, where he said the board was withdrawing its invitation to Canada. He described the Board of Peace as a prestigious global initiative aimed at helping resolve international conflicts, starting with efforts related to Gaza.
The move came shortly after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In his remarks, Carney warned against powerful countries using economic pressure as a political tool and spoke about the weakening of a rules based global order. While he did not mention Trump directly, the comments were widely seen as a criticism of current US policies.
Trump responded sharply, later saying that Canada depended heavily on the United States, a remark that drew attention on both sides of the border. Canadian officials had earlier indicated that Ottawa was open to joining the board before the invitation was withdrawn.
According to reports, the Board of Peace was introduced by Trump on the sidelines of the Davos meeting. The initiative is separate from existing international bodies and is expected to include selected countries willing to contribute financially and politically to its work. Some nations, including Argentina, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey, have been mentioned as participants or invitees.
Canada has not issued a detailed official response to the withdrawal, but Carney later pushed back against Trump’s comments by saying that Canada’s strength comes from its own people and institutions.
The episode highlights growing differences between Washington and Ottawa on trade, diplomacy and global leadership, even as the two countries remain long standing partners. It also raises questions about how much international support Trump’s Board of Peace initiative will attract in the coming months.