Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration to abandon public taunts and focus instead on meaningful negotiations, as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate over trade.
Carney made the remarks Tuesday amid renewed criticism from Washington following the collapse of U.S.-Canada trade negotiations on August 21.
The Canadian leader said Ottawa remains open to resuming discussions if the United States approaches negotiations more seriously. At the same time, he warned that some of Washington’s demands could severely undermine Canadian industries.
“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said. “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
Carney said the terms being sought by Washington could effectively turn some Canadian industries into extensions of American companies or leave them “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.”
“We’re not going to — of course, we’re not going to accept those terms,” Carney said.
He said the United States had pushed for what he described as an “uncompetitive” arrangement affecting major industries, particularly the automotive sector. According to Carney, Washington also sought changes involving French-language and cultural protections, which he said could each be sufficient grounds for Canada to reject a deal.
The prime minister also rejected any attempt to restrict Canada’s ability to negotiate future trade agreements with other nations.
“Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals,” he said.
Carney acknowledged that the negotiations had included some elements that could have benefited both sides before they broke down.
The latest dispute followed a series of provocative statements and actions from U.S. officials. Trump has promoted the idea of renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” and has continued criticizing Canada through social media.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also argued that Canada could not respond to the United States on an equal “tit for tat” basis, pointing to the much larger size of the American economy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth separately drew criticism after posting an image of two female Canadian military cadets at a British Columbia training facility, accompanied by the words “this is real” and a Canadian flag.
Carney described the post as “beneath their office.” The Pentagon defended the social media post, responding, “The X post speaks for itself.”
Bessent subsequently criticized Carney during an appearance on Fox News, claiming the Canadian prime minister had received a “verbal beatdown” from him and Hegseth.
Asked about Carney’s appeal for Washington to stop “throwing shade” and resume substantive negotiations, Bessent responded:
“Well, he was the one who said we were at war.”
Carney’s position has also been shaped by growing domestic political support. The Liberal Party won all three special elections held Monday, including a strong victory in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Quebec, where the Conservatives placed third.
The results increased the Liberals’ representation to 173 of the 343 seats in Canada’s House of Commons, strengthening Carney’s position as his government confronts Washington over trade and national sovereignty.
University of Toronto professor emeritus of political science Nelson Wiseman said Trump’s repeated suggestions of annexing Canada carry particular significance in Quebec because of the province’s French-language identity.
“Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the U.S. absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said Carney told labor leaders Tuesday that relations with the United States should not be expected to quickly return to their previous state.
According to Bruske, Carney described the situation as “a new normal that we have to get adjusted to.”
The breakdown in negotiations came after Washington imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian products. Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs covering nearly $20 billion in U.S. goods, with rates ranging from 15% to 50%, scheduled to take effect September 8.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, further intensifying concerns over the future of U.S.-Canada relations.