Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said he had an “extremely productive” first call Friday with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney, after soaring tensions over tariffs and Trump’s wish to annex his northern neighbor. Trump added that the two planned to meet soon after Canada’s April 28 general election in which Carney — who took office two weeks ago — has made standing up to the US president the focus of his campaign.
“I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump said they would be “meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada.”
Typically, a new Canadian leader makes a phone call with the US president an immediate priority, but this was Trump and Carney’s first contact since the Canadian was sworn in on March 14. Carney’s office said the pair had a “very constructive conversation” and agreed to begin “comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship immediately following the election.” It added, however, that Carney told Trump his government will impose retaliatory tariffs on American goods from April 2, when sweeping US levies are set to come into place.
“We’re not going to back down, we’re going to respond with force,” Carney said at an afternoon press conference. “What is clear is that the relationship between Canada and the United States has changed. And we’re not the one’s who changed,” he added, confirming that Canada needed to look to Europe “to strengthen ties with reliable partners.” “Over the coming weeks, months and years, we must fundamentally reimagine our economy.”
Trump’s glowing post was still a dramatic change in tone from recent rhetoric between Washington and Ottawa, who are NATO allies and long-standing economic partners. The US president has sparked fury in Canada by repeatedly insisting that it should become the 51st US state and by slapping or threatening tariffs on the country. His post on Friday was notable for its diplomacy, as Trump gave Carney his official title of prime minister and made no reference to his annexation drive. In contrast, Trump would often belittle Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau, with whom he had a long-standing rivalry, as “governor” in a reference to his calls for Canada to join the United States.
Canada’s new prime minister — who is in a tight election race to stay in the job — was chosen by Canada’s centrist Liberal Party to replace Trudeau but has never faced the country’s electorate. Just a day before the call, Carney said he would not participate in substantive trade negotiations with Washington until the president shows Canada “respect,” particularly by ending his repeated annexation threats.
US Vice President JD Vance maintained a combative stance on Friday, repeating Trump’s past comment that Canadians “just don’t have the cards” on tariffs. “There is no way that Canada can win a trade war with the United States,” he said during a visit to Greenland. Trump’s planned 25 percent levy on vehicle imports to the United States is to come into force next week and could be devastating for a Canadian auto industry that supports an estimated 500,000 jobs. The 78-year-old Republican is also set to impose reciprocal tariffs on all countries that put levies on US exports, and Canada is to be in the firing line for those too.
Trump has warned Canada against working with the European Union to counter upcoming reciprocal tariffs on all imports. If they did so, they would face “large-scale tariffs, far larger than currently planned,” Trump has said. Trump’s threats have impacted Canadian polls, with Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives seen as election favorites before Trudeau dropped out. Since Trump’s threats to Canada, the polls have spectacularly narrowed in favor of Carney’s Liberals, who hold a minority in parliament.
© 2024 AFP
