Mark Carney’s Davos Speech @POKE FRESH (Mark presents, AZF)

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 1:00 pm sharp at **POKE FRESH RESTAURANT (**1026 NE 65th St · Seattle) just 1/2 block west of the Roosevelt Light Rail station. Feel free to come up to 30 minutes early and hang out with us beforehand. You can view the poke fresh menu here: https://pokefreshwa.com/poke-fresh/locations/

Edited Deep Seek text:

Mark Carney is the current Prime Minister of Canada, former Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008-2013) and of the Bank of England (2013-2020) whose career and recent major speech at Davos 2026 position him as a significant voice on the global stage. He holds degrees in economics from Harvard and Oxford and worked for Goldman Sachs before entering politics. Carney has not disclosed his net wealth but Chat GPT estimated it at about US $6 which would put him in the top 1% of Canadians and the top .5% of humans.

On January 20, 2026, Carney delivered a landmark address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting titled "Principled and Pragmatic: Canada's Path". The speech, widely seen as a veiled critique of the United States' foreign policy under President Donald Trump, received a rare standing ovation and significant international attention.

Carney's speech went far beyond stating that the old order was ending; he argued it was never as legitimate or equitable as it was portrayed. His core confession:

"We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim".

He admitted this "fiction was useful" during the era of stable American hegemony, which provided public goods like open sea lanes and collective security. Therefore, countries like Canada "placed the sign in the window" and participated in the rituals, "largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality" to benefit from the system.

Analysts noted that the confession was so powerful precisely because it came from Mark Carney—a former central banker and Goldman Sachs alumnus who was the "perfect torch bearer for liberal, rules-based globalisation". For such a quintessential establishment figure to dismantle the system from within was seen as a watershed moment, an "indictment from the inside" that was more devastating than critiques from outside opponents.

Crucially, the "we" he refers to are countries like Canada—middle powers within the Western alliance that prospered under the U.S.-led system and benefited from its stability, even while acknowledging its flaws . His speech was a declaration that this bargain no longer works for them.

16-minute YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izDAOvHz5Wc

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF):
At the beginning of the meeting we will watch the video above on a laptop together.

OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter describes their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into its main format.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>5):
If there are more than 5 people present we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.u