Carney says Canada backs ICC but stays mum on Trump-sanctioned Canadian judge

This composite image shows Kimberly Prost, left, a judge on the International Criminal Court, in an undated handout photo, and a view of the International Criminal Court, right, in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (The Canadian Press / Handout — International Criminal Court, left, AP-Omar Havana)

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada’s support for the International Criminal Court is unequivocal as Washington vows to dismantle the institution.

But the prime minister did not explain Wednesday why his government has offered no public criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sanctioning of Winnipeg-born ICC judge Kimberly Prost.

At a press conference in Toronto, Carney said Canada will “provide support as needed” to the judge, who is asking a New York court to reverse the sanctions that left her unable to use her credit cards.

Trump sanctioned Prost last August over her work on a case involving American troops in Afghanistan, a move France criticized but Ottawa has not.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged to “dismantle” the ICC and has urged allies to pull out of the court, which has never formally investigated or charged an American.

Carney said Canada’s various diplomatic appointments speak to the importance Ottawa attaches to international law and the ICC is particularly important as the world gets more dangerous.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press