Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned a new wave of US tariffs as a “miscalculation” intended to “hurt and divide” his nation. The rebuke followed the sudden collapse of trade negotiations late Friday, which left the Prime Minister feeling that Canada was being “attacked.” Carney stated he walked away from the potential deal because he refused to “compromise Canada’s sovereignty,” noting that the US side had “asked too much and offered too little.”
In response to the breakdown, Canada plans to implement “dollar-for-dollar” retaliatory tariffs starting 8 September. These measures will target various imports, including electronics, appliances, dairy, and steel. While both nations had expressed optimism earlier in the week, the talks disintegrated on Friday night after mutual accusations of last-minute changes to the agreement. Donald Trump has not yet issued a response to the development.
The failure of the negotiations has resulted in the immediate imposition of 50% US tariffs on a broad array of Canadian goods. These new levies are in addition to existing tariffs already affecting Canadian lumber, automobiles, aluminium, and steel. Describing the decision as a “reluctant” move to safeguard national interests, the Prime Minister confirmed that further details regarding the specific counter-measures will be disclosed in the coming days.
