Canada now 'at war' with United States over trade, Prime Minister says
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has declared a trade war with the United States following the collapse of negotiations over steel, aluminum, and auto tariffs. Canada plans to implement retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods starting September 8.
Why it matters
This represents a significant escalation in North American trade tensions, threatening to disrupt integrated supply chains and impact the economies of both nations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc at a news conference on Saturday, where the Prime Minister promised more details to come on planned retaliatory measures in response to U.S. tariffs. Chris Tanouye/Reuters
Prime Minister Mark Carney said his team walked away from trade negotiations Friday after the American side made unacceptable requests that would have infringed on Canadian sovereignty.
Speaking with reporters Saturday morning on Parliament Hill, Mr. Carney offered several examples of U.S. demands that Canada could not accept, including the fine print related to potential agreements on steel, aluminum and autos, and language that he said would have restricted Canada’s trade negotiations with other countries.
“There were some things we wouldn’t do. We were not prepared to compromise Canada’s sovereignty or to undermine key industries,” he said. “In short, they asked too much, and they offered too little.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in