Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister-designate and successor to Justin Trudeau, launched a strong critique of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday regarding trade tariffs. Issuing what seemed like an ultimatum to the U.S., Carney asserted that Canada would prevail in trade disputes, just as it does in hockey.
According to a Bloomberg report, Carney emphasized that Canada would persist with its retaliatory tariffs against its neighbor and “best friend.” He made it clear that Canadians did not initiate this trade conflict but are fully prepared to respond.
“We didn’t ask for this fight… but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” Carney stated. He justified Canada’s countermeasures, declaring that tariffs would remain in place until the U.S. demonstrates respect and commits to fair trade practices.
“The Canadian government is right to retaliate with our own tariffs. My government will maintain them until the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade,” he affirmed.
Canada’s 25% retaliatory tariffs, impacting U.S. goods worth $20.9 billion—including coffee, fruit, and orange juice—were imposed following Trump’s decision to levy a 25% tariff on most Canadian and Mexican imports. Ottawa has also threatened to expand the tariffs to additional U.S. goods valued at C$125 billion, potentially targeting vehicles, steel, and other food products.
Meanwhile, Trump has suggested that tariffs on Mexico and Canada “could go up” over time, stating that further clarity on the matter would emerge after April 2, when his administration’s reciprocal taxes are scheduled to take effect.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump explained that the temporary delay in tariffs on Mexico and Canada was a “little bit of a break.”
“The tariffs could increase as time goes by… They may go up. This country has been taken advantage of by every nation and company in the world at levels never seen before. What we’re doing now is taking back what’s ours,” Trump remarked.
A month into his presidency, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Initially delayed for a month, the tariffs were imposed last Tuesday, only for Trump to grant another temporary reprieve for automakers. The tariffs on Mexico and Canada’s free-trade goods remain on hold until April.
