OTTAWA — A day after Prime Minister Mark Carney told a U.S. media outlet his government has studied the possibility of U.S.-led military action in Canada, Defence Minister David McGuinty says all militaries analyze such risks.

McGuinty is downplaying the significance of comments Carney made to the New York Times on Wednesday indicating Ottawa has examined the possibility of American military action.

Carney told the New York Times he would not to discuss in detail what that examination involved, but suggested it would be irresponsible not to prepare for what he called “extreme tail risk.”

McGuinty says it’s normal for a country to do that but the government would not be going into any detail about what such an analysis entails.

He says Canada and the United States have one of the most important military relationships in the world, having co-operated for decades to keep North America safe.

Conservative MP Ellis Ross says Carney’s comments were irresponsible, “uncalled for” and served to stoke division and fear, and wants to know what the United States has to say about this.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.

The Canadian Press