GROUND CONTROL — CARNEY and his Cabinet are bunkered down today inside a literal fortress in Quebec City.

The prime minister also took a swipe at Trump's remark that "Canada lives because of the United States", saying it "thrives because of Canadians".

After Donald Trump claimed Canada only 'lives' because of US protection, Mark Carney hit back with a powerful six-word statement defending Canadian independence.

Carney evoked the landmark 1978 essay “The Power of the Powerless“ by former Czech freedom fighter Václav Havel, who eventually led the Velvet Revolution that led to free elections in his country in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall toppled the Soviet Union. Havel later received a hero’s welcome in Canada in 1999.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet are gathering for a second day in Quebec City as questions mount about whether a war of words with the U.S. will lead to a further fracturing of the bilateral relationship.

The Canadian prime minister spoke after returning from the World Economic Forum where he urged middle powers to team up in resisting President Trump.

Canada's prime minister said powerful countries are using economic weapons to pursue their interests, while affirming support for Greenland and Nato.

The USMCA faces a mandatory review this year. Its renewal is not guaranteed. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has spent months floating the idea of bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico instead. Uncertainty over the deal has put strain on a bilateral trading relationship worth C$1.3 trillion annually in two-way merchandise trade.