Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in January was both brilliant and telling. And he minced no words. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition, he said, expanding his belief that "great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited."

So, he said, Canada as a middle power is engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes, taking on the world as it is, not waiting for a world we wish to be. In that context, we are building strength at home while seeking new partnerships around the world. The old order, he warned, is not coming back. And that's OK. Powerful countries may have their leverage but it will be the middle powers - 50 plus countries - that will, through cooperation and trade, benefit and thrive, moving forward in new directions.

Canada and European leaders have rallied behind Greenland, supporting its independence and sovereignty. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark with its own parliament and self-government. Greenland's security is included in NATO. The country belongs to its people and only they can decide on its future. That fact is rooted in international law.

On January 6, Carney stated Canada is opening a new consulate in Nuuk, Greenland's capital city "to strengthen our engagement in support of Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Foreign affairs minister Anita Anand will be travelling there in a few weeks to open the new facility. Great move. Security of the Arctic is at the base of all this, as much for the U.S. as for Greenland and Canada.