Canada’s political leaders have united to rally the country against President Trump in a brewing trade war after Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from talks on Friday just hours before new 50 percent tariffs took effect.
Carney told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa that his government will “match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar.” Retaliatory tariffs are set to take effect on Sept. 8.
Carney said he broke off negotiations reluctantly because he knows the tariffs will result in higher costs for Canadians.
“But at the same time, we take this step confident that it is in the best interest of Canada,” he said.
“You’re at war when you’re attacked, and we got attacked,” Carney added. “We cannot accept what they’ve offered and we will not give what they’ve asked.”
Canadian politicians across the political spectrum have backed Carney’s move, including opposition leader Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party.
“Canadians must stand united to defend our country against these unfair attacks on our jobs and businesses,” he wrote on the social platform X after talks broke down. “Canada cannot accept one-sided tariffs that will deindustrialize our country. Nor can we accept a bad deal. Instead, we must continue the fight for tariff-free trade.”
Provincial premiers struck a similar note.
"I'm sure there is a desire to get back to the table, but we should recognize that the Trump administration and the president are deeply flawed. He's got two more years left in office. We should be prepared to duke it out for two years. And then hopefully sanity will return to America," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew told reporters.
“It will be painful, but we have a strong, vibrant, diversified economy,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has led Canada’s opposition to Trump’s trade policies.
“We have to use every tool in our toolbox to make sure as Donald Trump is trying to inflict pain on every Canadian that we inflict pain right back,” he added in remarks to reporters.
Conservative Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed concern about the impact of a trade war but said the U.S.’s terms in negotiations were “untenable” for Canada to accept.
Trump is not enjoying similar unity behind his trade policies, which have been among the most controversial aspects of his second term.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who is in the midst of a tough reelection battle, urged the administration to “consider the negative impact” of engaging in a trade war with Canada. She said the tariffs would result in higher costs for Mainers.
“Ever since the tariffs were first announced, I have heard from many businesses, farmers, and lobstermen concerned about the cost of navigating the tariffs, the lack of domestic supply chains, and the likely imposition of retaliatory tariffs by Canada,” she said in a post on X. “I urge both sides to return to the negotiating table.”
Democrats were predictably furious over the development, with figures including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor of Minnesota, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warning that prices would go up for U.S. consumers.
The U.S. and Canada had seemed to be approaching a deal that would stave off the 50 percent tariffs from going into effect on more than $20 billion worth of Canadian goods through much of last week.
The tariffs affect a wide range of goods, including wine, cement, plywood, furniture and hockey sticks.
Carney said “significant progress” was made in recent weeks but accused the U.S. of seeking to change the terms at the last minute.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer argued in an interview with The New York Times that the U.S. proposal would have given Canada the most preferential treatment of any trading partner.
He said the Trump administration would have eliminated a 10 percent tariff on softwood lumber and reduce a 25 percent tariff on cars that were imposed last year. He said the U.S. also offered to lower tariffs on metals, including steel and aluminum.
Carney said at the press conference that Canada agreed to many U.S. demands, including lifting various retaliatory tariffs and convincing Canadian provinces to lift bans on the sale of U.S. liquor. But he said the U.S. refused to include exemptions for some Canadian trucks and subsidies for French culture.
Trump showed no signs of backing down Sunday, alleging Canada wants the “benefits of being a state, without being one.”
“They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!” he said on Truth Social.
▪ The Hill: Sean Duffy says Carney will ‘come to the table.’
▪ Politico: Inside the 72 hours that cratered the U.S.-Canada deal.
