Carney leaves Wednesday for Munich Security Conference

OTTAWA – As Canada works to update its own defence policy, Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to Germany later this week for the world’s top security conference.

Carney leaves Wednesday for Munich and will be in Germany until Sunday, his office said.

The Munich Security Conference brings together heads of government who discuss major issues in security policy and defence. This meeting takes place against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to disrupt the global order.

Trump ordered the armed apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the start of this year, and his threats to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland by force have put the NATO military alliance at risk.

Officials who briefed reporters on background ahead of the trip said Carney is scheduled to meet with the leaders of Greenland, Denmark, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Finland, Norway and the European Union, as well as a delegation of U.S. senators.

The Prime Minister’s Office said publicly that Carney will also meet with business leaders while in Munich — part of his efforts to attract investment to Canada’s critical mineral, energy and technology sectors.

The officials briefing reporters said Defence Minister David McGuinty will be joining Carney to formally sign Canada into a major EU defence procurement loan program known as SAFE, which would allow EU countries to work with Canada to develop and purchase arms.

Canada also will co-sign a military-industrial memorandum with Denmark. The agreement largely involves activities in the Arctic and the NATO mission Canada is helping to lead in Latvia to deter Russia, the officials said Tuesday.

They said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will accompany Carney to Munich, as will MP Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement.

On Thursday, Carney is set to take part in a roundtable lunch with American investment firm Pimco.

On Friday, Carney is expected to attend a private luncheon event for investors on long-term economic resilience. He’ll later give a speech at the opening of the conference before attending an event convened by Germany about Ukraine.

On Saturday, Carney will have a discussion with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He’s expected to witness the signing of the SAFE deal, followed by the memorandum with Denmark at a separate event, before leaving Germany early Sunday.

The group that runs the Munich conference has issued a report that pulls from Carney’s speech last month to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In that speech, the prime minister urged middle powers to work together against great-power economic coercion.

The Munich Security Report declares the world is “in an era of wrecking-ball politics” and modest measures won’t be enough to entirely rebuild the world order put in place at the end of the Second World War.

“Those who oppose the politics of destruction have to fortify essential structures, draw up new, more sustainable designs, and become bold builders themselves,” the report argues.

It noted Trump’s renovations to the White House that tore down large swaths of the building had violated norms.

“Trump’s willingness to dismantle physical structures he deems unfit for the future also serves as a powerful metaphor for a broader shift in the United States’ approach to the international order,” says the report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija.