Carney Tells Trump to Stop ‘Trying to Be Tough’ in Trade Row

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday hit back at the Trump administration, urging Washington to stop the rhetoric and return to serious negotiations as the US-Canada trade dispute escalates.

Carney said trade talks could resume if the United States became serious about reaching an agreement. He also accused Washington of seeking terms that could gradually weaken or eliminate Canadian industries.

“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said.

His remarks came after trade negotiations between the two countries broke down on August 21.

US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” and repeatedly mocked Canada on social media. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Canada could not sustain a “tit for tat” trade dispute with an economy 13 times larger.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also mocked the Canadian military in an online post featuring two female cadets at a training centre in British Columbia. Carney described the post as “beneath their office,” while the Pentagon stood by it.

Bessent later said Carney had received a “verbal beatdown” from him and Hegseth. Asked about Carney’s call for Washington to return to negotiations, Bessent responded that Carney had previously said the two countries were “at war.”

Carney said the US negotiating position would effectively turn Canadian industries into subsidiaries of American companies or force them to wind down.

“We're not going to — of course, we're not going to accept those terms,” he said.

He said Washington was seeking an “uncompetitive” agreement affecting key sectors such as automobiles, while also demanding changes involving French-language and cultural protections.

Carney added that the United States wanted restrictions on Canada’s ability to negotiate future trade agreements with other countries.

“Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals,” he said.

Despite the dispute, Carney acknowledged that the negotiations had included some mutually beneficial elements before collapsing.

The prime minister also received a political boost after the Liberal Party won all three special elections on Monday, including a decisive victory in Quebec’s Chicoutimi-Le Fjord. The results increased the Liberals’ strength to 173 seats in the 343-member House of Commons.

The latest trade talks collapsed after the two sides failed to reach an agreement, prompting Trump to impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs on nearly $20 billion of US goods, ranging from 15% to 50%, scheduled to take effect on September 8.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state.