U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom he called “a very nice gentleman,” will pay a visit to the White House “within the next week or less.”
Trump made the remarks in response to a reporter’s question on the Canada-U.S. relationship, which has been strained for months. The two countries are engaged in an enduring trade war, affecting a wide range of goods from groceries to auto parts. Trump has also made repeated headlines for suggesting Canada should be a state and calling former prime minister Justin Trudeau “governor.”
Dealing with Trump became a central pillar of the federal election campaign, with all party leaders weighing in on how best to respond to Trump’s actions. Carney pledged repeatedly to build trade relationships with countries other than the U.S. in order to make Canada more independent.
“I actually think the Conservative hated me much more than the so-called ‘Liberal,’” he said, referring to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Prior to his election victory, Carney said he and Trump agreed to continue trade negotiations after Canadians chose their next prime minister. Now that Carney has won, he and Trump are expected to reconfigure the central document guiding commerce between the two countries: the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
“He called me up yesterday, he said, ‘lets make a deal,’” the president said on Wednesday.
During that call, Trump congratulated Carney on his win, and the two agreed to meet in person, according to a statement from Carney’s office.
The leaders agreed on the importance of Canada and the United States working together – as independent, sovereign nations – for their mutual betterment,” reads that statement.
Optics are key with Trump: strategist
Now that the two leaders have agreed to meet, Liberal strategist Geoff Turner says Carney’s team should think carefully about how exactly to do that.
In an interview with CTV News Channel, Turner says Carney’s handlers need to consider, “What are the optics and mechanisms in that meeting?”
If they don’t, Turner adds, they risk throwing Carney into an experience similar to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was berated during his public visit in March.
During the last 10 minutes of that meeting, Trump and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said Zelenskyy was not being thankful enough for their country’s support during Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion and accused him of “gambling with World War III.”
“No Mar-a-Lago,” said Turner. “No fireside chat.”
State of the trade war
Canada and the United States have been going tit-for-tat on trade for months in a trade war that dogged the end of Trudeau’s tenure, overshadowed the campaign and set a fire under the infant days of Carney’s time as prime minister.
Right now, the U.S. has 25 per cent tariffs on all goods, and 10 per cent on energy and potash that isn’t covered by CUSMA. There’s another 25 per cent tax on Canadian steel and aluminum, and 25 per cent on automobiles that aren’t protected by the free trade agreement.
Yesterday, the U.S. unveiled a temporary rebate for car companies that finish their cars in the U.S. to soften the blow of his tariffs.
In response, Canada put in place its own non-CUSMA compliant vehicle tariffs, and levies on nearly $60 billion in steel and aluminum products, juice, spirits, apparel, cosmetics, and more.
The effects of the tariffs are wide ranging. Stock market fluctuations made for volatile trading in the days after the fees were announced, which affected savings accounts and long-held investments. Automakers announced temporary layoffs and paused production at its manufacturing plants. Weeks later, several companies are not offering earnings guidance because of tariff uncertainty.
During his victory speech in Ottawa on election night, Carney repeated a sentiment that Canada would need to strike out on its own economically to avoid a deepening commercial crisis.
“Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship based on steadily increasing integration, is over,” he said. “These are tragedies, but it’s also our new reality.”
