In a rare address by a Canadian leader to the Australian parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a "more prosperous, more resilient, more just" world order after ruptures driven by US tariffs and global conflict.
Mr Carney fleshed out themes from his landmark speech at the World Economic Forum in January, in which he warned middle-power countries like Australia and Canada would be "on the menu" unless they worked together.
Alongside his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, the former central bank chief announced plans to boost joint investment in critical minerals, which are used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and sensitive defence technologies.
"In the past just-under one year, we've signed 20 new economic and security partnerships across four continents," Mr Carney told reporters at a joint press conference in Canberra on Thursday.
"But in that mission, all those partnerships are not created equal.
"We turn to our most trusted allies, Australia first and foremost amongst them, those who share our values of democracy, freedom and sovereignty."
Australia and Canada have signed a number of critical minerals agreements, including joining a G7 alliance that seeks to seize dominance of metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel away from China.
Those agreements would help Australia diversify its trading relationships, shielding it from the whims of individual nations, Mr Albanese said.
A former head of the Canadian and UK central banks, Mr Carney has used his platform as prime minister to rally middle powers in the face of aggressive economic and military action by nations such as the US and Russia.
He used his speech in Canberra to urge Australia to join a "dense web of connections" being drawn together by Ottawa to counter superpowers.
"We have adopted a new framework for engaging the world: variable geometry - creating different coalitions for different issues, based on common values and interests," he said.
Trusted nations that could work together would be more effective at shaping the world over the years to come, Mr Carney said.
"Great powers can compel, but compulsion comes with costs, both reputational and financial," he said.
"Middle powers must convene to matter, but not everyone can.
"Middle powers like Australia and Canada hold this rare convening power, because others know we mean what we say and we will match our values with our actions."
Mr Carney pointed to defence, artificial intelligence, trade and investment as areas in which Australia and Canada could expand their co-operation.
The Canadian prime minister was given a ceremonial welcome with a gun salute when he arrived at Parliament House on Thursday morning, posing for selfies with school students visiting the building.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor welcomed Mr Carney to Canberra, recalling the pair's days together at Oxford University.
"Mark's thesis was of great interest to the professors, whereas I wrote mine on the price of beer, a far greater interest to our students back then," Mr Taylor said.
