O Canada, O Albanese: This middle power roars as Australia’s exemplar

March 1, 2026 — 10:30am

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When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses a joint sitting of parliament in Canberra on Thursday, he will, no doubt, make a plea for middle powers such as Canada and Australia to work more closely together in the face of disruptions to the world order. He can be expected to reprise some of the themes of his instantly famous speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January.

Leaders of other important democracies (notably, Donald Trump) also spoke at Davos, but it was Canada’s prime minister who grabbed the world’s attention – not just by the erudition of his remarks, but by their unsparing candour. While European leaders hedged their words with careful euphemisms about threats and challenges to the rules-based global order, Carney dismissed such diplomatic legerdemain as “a pleasant fiction”.

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International affairs

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