Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has scolded the United States for its flippant approach to the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.
Carney on Tuesday hit back at a series of insults and disparaging comments by President Donald Trump and his officials, saying negotiations could move forward if the United States showed more seriousness about the issues at hand.
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“When Americans stop the memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start having these conversations seriously, then we can have those discussions,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa. “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
The Liberal leader’s comments come amid renewed tensions between the United States and Canada, which have historically had close ties.
However, President Trump’s second term has caused a fray in these relationships. Since returning to office in 2025, President Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canadian products, prompting retaliatory measures.
The latest additional tariffs went into effect on August 22, when negotiations between the two countries broke down.
As a result, approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods were subject to 50% tariffs. Canada has vowed to respond by imposing tariffs on roughly the same dollar worth of U.S. goods starting Sept. 8.
In the aftermath of the failed negotiations, Mr. Carney blamed the impasse on last-minute U.S. demands.
He accused the Trump administration of seeking to limit Canada’s ability to strengthen trade deals with other countries and calling for changes to laws that protect Canada’s French language and culture.
Mr. Carney also said Mr. Trump’s team tried to push for an asymmetric agreement that would harm Canadian industry.
“Canada is a sovereign nation, and we will enter into free trade agreements with any country that wants to enter into free trade agreements,” Carney told reporters Tuesday. He added: “Of course we are not willing to accept those conditions.”
The trade war between the two countries has led to a rise in Canadian nationalism.
According to a June poll conducted by research firm Abacus Data, national pride has increased by 12 points over the past two years, reaching 77% this year.
Mr. Carney is under pressure not to bow to U.S. demands. In addition to imposing heavy tariffs, the Trump administration pressured Canada to relinquish its sovereignty and become the “51st state” within the United States.
President Trump has also taken symbolic actions aimed at asserting U.S. primacy in the border areas the two countries share. On August 27, the President of the United States signed an executive order directing the federal government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake of America.”
“They’re one of the worst countries in the world,” President Trump said of Canada in a recent radio interview.
Other cabinet-level members of the Trump administration echo Trump’s disdain for Canada.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Canada’s economy is not prepared to handle a trade war with the United States, and blamed Carney for escalating the situation.
“Well, I don’t think you can retaliate against someone 13 times bigger than you,” Bessent said Monday.
“He came into office on an anti-American, anti-Trump platform. He had a 20-point lead in the polls. And he started this. And it’s unfortunate that he’s not doing what’s best for Canadians,” he added of Carney.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted images of two Canadian female cadets on social media in an attempt to ridicule the Canadian military.
“This is real,” he wrote below a photo of two women with a Canadian flag emoji.
Hegseth, a former television host, has frequently criticized efforts to include women, LGBTQ people and racial minorities in the military, calling it a “woke” move from the U.S. military’s core mission.
When reporters asked Mr. Carney to respond to such messages, Mr. Carney said such comments were made “underground” at the agency.
“Our plan has always been to stand up for Canada, first and foremost here at home,” Carney said.
