Trump withdraws Board of Peace invitation to Canada

President Trump said he has withdrawn an invitation for Canada to join his proposed “Board of Peace,” after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada “doesn’t live because of the United States,” following comments Trump made at Davos.

“Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump said in a post on Thursday.

Carney had made the remarks earlier Thursday during a speech in Canada, which preceded Trump’s decision to withdraw the invitation.

“Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security and in rich cultural exchange,” Carney said. “But Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”

The exchange follows Carney’s recent appearance at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. According to ACB News, Carney said during his Davos remarks that Canada could demonstrate that the future “doesn’t have to be autocratic,” and criticized coercion by powerful countries against smaller ones without naming Trump directly.

Following Carney’s remarks, Trump said that “Canada lives because of the United States,” adding that Canada receives many “freebies” from Washington and “should be grateful.” Trump said Carney’s Davos speech showed he “wasn’t so grateful.”

Trump’s proposed Board of Peace has been described by the president as a new international leadership body initially focused on Gaza.

Trump has said the board is not intended to replace the United Nations, though he has criticized the UN’s effectiveness and said it has failed to resolve conflicts he believes it should have addressed.