Key facts
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated the U.S. must be serious and cease provocative actions for trade talks to resume.
- Canada withdrew from trade negotiations on August 21, citing unacceptable U.S. demands.
- Carney rejected U.S. proposals that would diminish Canadian industries, particularly in the auto sector.
- Carney accused the U.S. of seeking terms that would lead to Canadian industries being "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."
- U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a mocking image of Canadian cadets online.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration to "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough," as he pushed back against a fresh wave of attacks from Washington. Carney stated that U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington became serious about negotiations, but accused the United States of pursuing terms that could leave Canadian industries "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."
Carney's comments followed a new barrage of criticism from Washington since trade talks collapsed on August 21, including Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" and taunting social media posts. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also commented that Canada could not engage in a "tit for tat" with the U.S. economy, which is 13 times larger. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth mocked female Canadian cadets online, a post Carney called "beneath their office."
Carney asserted that Washington sought an "uncompetitive" deal for key industries like autos, while also pushing for changes affecting French-language and cultural protections. He added that Canada, as a sovereign state, would strike free trade deals with any country it wished, rejecting limits on future trade agreements.
U.S. officials have challenged Canada's account of why the talks collapsed, asserting that a viable deal was on the table. Trump has previously spoken about making Canada the 51st state, and imposed 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods after talks broke down, prompting Canada to plan retaliatory tariffs.