The United States does not get to dictate the terms of upcoming trade talks, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday, speaking about reports that Washington wanted an “entry fee” before starting negotiations.
The United States and Canada are set to hold talks on revising a North American free trade agreement, a pact President Donald Trump signed and praised during his first term but now dismisses as “irrelevant.”
Asked about those reports in Ottawa, and whether Canada should offer concessions in order to persuade the US to talk, Carney said “no.” “It’s not a case of the US dictating the terms...It’s not a case of (one country) demanding and the other begging,” he said in French. “It’s a negotiation.”
Since taking office just over one year ago, Carney has maintained a defiant tone in response to Trump’s threats, insisting Canada will not buckle when faced with unreasonable trade demands.
He has also said Canada needs to dramatically reduce its economic and security reliance on the US. “Many of our former strengths based on our close ties to America have become our weaknesses, weaknesses that we must correct.” Trump has imposed punishing tariffs on key Canadian sectors but has so far adhered to most of the USMCA, meaning more than 85 percent of US-Canada trade has remained tariff-free.
His administration has said it wants major changes to the USMCA in revision talks said to intensify after July 1. Trump’s auto and steel tariffs have hit particularly hard in Canada’s largest province, Ontario, where
Premier Doug Ford has retaliated by blocking the sale of all US liquor and wine. Lutnick called that ban “outrageous” in congressional testimony. But Ford has said he will not waver until all US tariffs are removed.“I don’t trust President Trump,” Ford said Wednesday.