Carney rebukes Trump as Canada-US trade row deepens
SCMP · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday sharply criticized the Trump administration as tensions rose after U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed on August 21. He said negotiations could restart if Washington became serious, but rejected U.S. terms he said would leave Canadian industries weakened and undermine protections tied to language and culture.
Key Points
- Carney said Washington should “stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough” before serious trade discussions could resume.
- He said U.S. proposals would leave Canadian industries as subsidiaries of American companies or be gradually wound down and wiped out in Canada.
- Carney said the United States sought an “uncompetitive” deal for key sectors including autos, while also pressing changes affecting French-language and cultural protections.
- Since the August 21 collapse in talks, Trump has renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” and taunted Canada on social media.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Canada could not go tit-for-tat with an economy 13 times larger, while Pete Hegseth mocked Canadian cadets online.
Why It Matters
The dispute shows that any restart in Canada-U.S. trade talks will depend not only on tariff terms but also on political tone and sovereignty-sensitive issues raised by Ottawa. For Hong Kong readers and businesses, prolonged friction between two major North American trading partners could add uncertainty to supply chains and sentiment around autos and other cross-border industries already under pressure.