When his teleprompter malfunctioned on Wednesday in the middle of a news conference on housing policy, ​Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney smiled and took ‌a swift jab at US President Donald Trump, saying, “I do not view this as a conspiracy.”

Carney’s remark was an ​apparent reference to Trump’s demands for an investigation after ​he encountered a halted escalator and a non-functioning ⁠teleprompter last year at the United Nations General ​Assembly, where he delivered a speech.

“I would like to ​inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function. Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a ​conspiracy,” Carney said to laughs at the news ​conference in Toronto.

Carney’s office and the White House did not immediately ‌respond ⁠to requests for comment.

Relations between Canada and the US have been fraught since Trump returned to the White House last year, slapping broad tariffs on the ​northern neighbour and ​calling for ⁠it to become the 51st US state.

Carney, who has said he would fight ​Trump’s trade policies, has worked to lessen ​Canada’s diplomatic ⁠and economic dependency on the US. He also drew international attention for declaring the end of a rules-based global ⁠order ​and criticising great powers for ​using “economic integration as weapons”.