Carney said he intends to tell Trump that both countries, including Canada’s sovereignty, are “mostly served by cooperation and mutual respect.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney hopes to call President Donald Trump in the coming days, and said Ottawa will respond to car rates with retaliatory trade measures at a later date.
“The US President contacted me last night to make a call, and I would like to thank you for this opportunity to discuss ways we can protect our workers and build our economy,” Carney said on March 27th.
Carney said Ottawa’s response to US tariffs will come after mutual tariffs are placed in all countries. “It makes no sense if there’s a series of relatively rapid succession of US initiatives to accommodate each one,” he said.
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“We’re going to know more in a week. And then we’ll respond.”
Carney said Canada’s response will be “the biggest impact on the US and minimal impact in Canada.” When asked if Ottawa was considering going to the US for Canadian Energy, Carney said, “We have many options and we use them wisely.”
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford announced on March 10 that a 25% extra charge would apply to electricity exports to three US states, but Trump threatened to double the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum by 50%. Ford then suspended the additional fee a day later, following a call with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. And accordingly, the US kept its steel and aluminum tariffs at 25%.
Kearney was also asked about Trump’s comments at the beginning of the day that he would “major tariffs” on Canada and the European Union if he cooperated with Canada and the European Union to “inflict economic harm.”
The liberal leader said his government would choose their own allies as it focuses on achieving the best results for Canada. “We choose how we will engage with those allies. We are sovereigns. So I’m paying attention to the president’s comments. I won’t take direction from it,” he said.
Kearney added that Canada needs to be prepared for a “dramatically different world” that it no longer relies on the US. “The old relationship with the United States has ended based on deepening economic integration and deepening strict security and military cooperation,” he said.
Conservative leader Pierre Polyeble will speak with reporters at a press conference held in Ottawa on January 9, 2025. Canadian media/Adrian World
Conservative leader Pierre Poilierble said he condemned US tariffs on March 26, adding that Canada needs to become more independent.
“We need to take dramatic action that allows us to build economic fortresses in Canada and reach other markets around the world. We will abolish the Prevention Act, expand and make LNG liquefaction plants, mines and factories functional, and function to allow us to move goods elsewhere around the world,” Polyere said.
“Now is the time to control and reboot the economy so that we can stand up to the President’s unfair threats and tariffs in a strong position. We will do this for change, at the beginning of our people, our lands, our homes, our Canada.”
