Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to astronauts on the Artemis II mission on Wednesday, celebrating the first Canadian to fly around the moon and marking a lighter moment in U.S.-Canadian relations that have been strained under U.S. President Donald Trump.
Jeremy Hansen, a 50-year-old Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly on a lunar mission. He is joining three U.S. astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission, a lunar flyby and a key step in a programme aiming to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2028, ahead of China.
"Canadians are so proud of what you're doing and the collaboration. And I,.. just want to have a chance, if I may, I mean, I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be speaking with you, Jeremy and the crew," Carney told Hansen.
"We've all been watching and inspired by what you're doing. And I just want to, you know, I'm conscious, I spoke to the president (Donald Trump), the other day. I think he may have mentioned just how proud we are to to be associated with this mission," he added.
The prime minister also joked that Canadians hoped the preference was for maple syrup over Nutella on pancakes in the morning, following the viral moment when cameras caught a jar of Nutella floating through the microgravity inside the capsule. The maple leaf is Canada's national symbol.
“And I just wonder, a lot of Canadians just want at one point of reassurance that the preference is for maple syrup over Nutella on your pancakes in the morning. (CREW LAUGHING) I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
"Canadians couldn't be more proud of you personally, about this mission and our collaboration with the United States. So thank you for making the time and Godspeed and enjoy the rest of the mission. And we'll look forward to seeing you here at at some point in Canada. For maple syrup on pancakes,” Carney said at the end of the call.
Hansen, who promised to bring Carney a Canadian flag he brought on board, was selected for Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009, and his role on Artemis II reflects long-standing U.S.-Canadian partnership in human spaceflight. He also spoke of the value of risk-taking in space and on Earth.
"As a country, we have to be willing to have some failures," Hansen said. "And we fail in this space programme, but we just assure ourselves we're not going to stay or rest in those failures. We're going to push through them," said Hansen, who also took questions from Canadian school children.
The 10-day mission is due to end with the space capsule's splashdown near San Diego on Friday.
The mission coincides with tense trade relations between the two countries after Trump raised tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly suggested that Canada consider becoming the 51st state.
The record-breaking lunar flyby has offered a moment of positive attention for the United States at a time of heightened international tension over U.S strikes on Iran, tariffs, and disruptions to global institutions.
In a sweeping diplomatic push in Baku, Georgia and Azerbaijan have signed a landmark package of energy and transport agreements, cementing a partne...
The first-ever “WUF13 NGO Forum” in the history of the World Urban Forum (WUF) was held on 19 May 2026 at Azerbaijan’s initiative...
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance...
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and...
A new United Nations report unveiled at the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku warns that the global housing crisis is worsening...
NASA’s Artemis II crew has returned safely to Earth after completing a landmark journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission are preparing to return to Earth after completing a groundbreaking journey around the Moon, with a Pacific Ocean splashdown expected off the coast of San Diego at around 01:00 BST (12:00 GMT).
Astronauts aboard Artemis II have described the emotional toll of their historic journey as they prepare for a high-risk “fireball” re-entry. The crew is set to splash down off California on Friday (10 April) after travelling farther than any humans in history.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack on Iran after appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allowing negotiations to continue over a possible deal to end the conflict.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Guangxi region early on Monday, killing two people and forcing more than 7,000 residents in Liuzhou to evacuate as rescue efforts continued.
Azerbaijan and Georgia have agreed to resume daily passenger train services on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku route from 26 May, 2026, marking a major step in restoring regional rail connectivity after services were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to “jump straight to the result” risks undermining the purpose of art, which he believes should be rooted in self-expression and a deeper understanding of the world.
The Spanish government has issued a defiant message to Silicon Valley, confirming it will push ahead with stringent new legislation designed to make social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrably safer.
A robotics startup says it has built an AI “brain” that can teach humanoid robots new physical skills in days rather than months, as the race to deploy human-shaped machines in factories and warehouses accelerates.
Apple and Meta have publicly opposed a Canadian bill they say could force technology companies to weaken encryption on devices and online services if it becomes law.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment