Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman reaffirmed her country’s commitment to established international institutions on Sunday, after President Trump last week revoked an invitation for Prime Minister Mark Carney to join his Gaza Board of Peace.
Ms. Hillman said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that Canada had been considering joining the Board of Peace and was invested in achieving peace in Gaza. However, she indicated that the board’s apparent expansion beyond that goal has required more consideration.
“NATO is vital, and we work with our EU counterparts and EU-Canada for security discussions and in various other configurations.” Ms. Hillman said. “The Board of Peace has yet to be fully, I think, understood, and we’ll see where that goes, but the outcomes are what matter to Canada.”
She added that Canada would continue to promote “peace and stability and human rights” by working with the United Nations, the European Union, NATO and partner countries.
The U.S. invited Canada to join the board earlier this month, but Mr. Trump publicly revoked the invitation Thursday without providing a reason.
Mr. Carney had expressed interest in joining the board but expressed skepticism about its scope and was seeking clarification on how it would fund Gaza’s reconstruction.
Canada also ruled out paying for membership after Mr. Trump announced that countries would need to pay $1 billion to become a permanent member of his Board of Peace.
The revocation came after Mr. Carney’s blistering speech Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he decried the increasing use of “tariffs as leverage” and growing great power competition.
He did not mention Mr. Trump by name, but observers took Mr. Carney’s comments as an attack on Mr. Trump’s tariff policy and desire to dominate the Western hemisphere.
The Board of Peace, announced last year as part of the U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan, was intended to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire and rebuilding of the region after the Israeli-Hamas war.
In January, Mr. Trump announced that the board would have a global scope, focusing on resolving conflicts beyond Gaza. The apparent expansion drew concern from several world leaders who said it was a way for the U.S. to circumvent the United Nations and other international organizations.
