Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government has prepared for the "extreme tail risk" of U.S. military action against his country as tensions with Washington persist over trade and President Donald Trump's repeated calls to acquire Canada.

Carney acknowledged the contingency planning in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday, saying Canadian officials have a responsibility to consider even highly unlikely threats.

"I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk," Carney told the outlet. "That's just risk management. That's not a base case."

He added that "it would be irresponsible not to" be prepared.

Carney did not detail what preparations Canada has made or what an analysis of potential U.S. military action found, according to the Times.

His comments come after months of friction between Washington and Ottawa, with trade relations deteriorating and Trump repeatedly raising the prospect of the United States acquiring its northern neighbor.

Canada has rejected Trump's overtures.

Trade tensions have added another major strain to the relationship. Negotiations between the two governments fell apart last month, followed by a tariff battle in which Washington and Ottawa imposed duties on each other's goods.

Carney has responded by calling for Canada to become less economically dependent on the United States, arguing that decades of integration left the country too reliant on a single trading partner.

"The past 40 years has been a period of deeper economic integration with the United States," Carney said earlier this month in a video posted on YouTube. "Truth is, it was easy business, but it meant we relied too much on one economic partner. It's clear that time is over."

The prime minister said his government is pursuing a broader strategy aimed at developing Canada's economy while diversifying its international relationships.

"This is why our plan, since I came into office, has been development and diversification, not denial, waiting to go back to some good old days, and not continued dependence," Carney added.

Carney, however, stopped short of suggesting a U.S. invasion is expected.