Mark Carney has criticised Donald Trump’s administration and called on US officials to approach trade discussions “seriously” as tensions between the United States and Canada intensify.

The Canadian prime minister spoke ahead of Canada’s planned retaliation against sweeping US tariffs, due to begin on 8 September. In remarks carried in the lead-up to the measures, Carney also targeted Washington’s tone, saying insults and public jabs were not appropriate when both sides were seeking a way forward.

Carney Criticises Washington Language and Style

Carney said US officials needed to stop using “memes” and “shade” and instead focus on substantive negotiations about trade.

He added that criticism of Canada was “beneath” the office of the US government, and argued that both countries could work through differences if discussions were handled in a more constructive manner.

The comments came as the dispute has spilled beyond tariffs and into politics. Last week, Trump signed an executive order directing the US federal government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, a change rejected by Canadian leaders.

Tariffs And Retaliation Ahead Of 8 September

The tariff fight escalated earlier this month after trade talks between the two neighbours collapsed. The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20bn of Canadian goods.

Canada responded by announcing retaliatory tariffs on $20bn of American goods, starting on 8 September. The measures are expected to affect everyday items for US consumers, alongside other products covered by the reciprocal action.

Canada is the United States’ second-largest trading partner, and the widening tariffs threaten to raise pressure on both sides as negotiations stall.

Greer Plays Down Impact, Blames Talks Breakdown

Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative and the president’s senior trade negotiator, said the worst consequences of a trade war would be felt more by Canada than the United States. He described the dispute as “more their emergency than ours”.

In an interview reported by Politico, Greer said there were no active trade talks at the time, adding: “There are no negotiations happening on trade right now.” He also argued that it was not clear Canada wanted a deal and said Canada had framed its position around prohibiting or banning American goods and services.

Greer suggested that demands from Canadian officials helped derail the earlier negotiations, including requests for lighter taxes on heavy-duty trucks. He also described confusion over what was actually on the table, saying it was unclear whether disputes were driven by politics or economics, and noting that the range of options had not included a simple path back to duty-free trade.

Dispute Over Who Led Talks, Plus French Language Rights

Canadian officials said the talks failed because of disagreement inside the White House over who was directing trade negotiations. Carney also pointed to issues he said US negotiators raised during discussions, claiming American counterparts treated the French language in Canada as an “irritant”, while Carney said French language rights in Quebec must be respected.

Trump has repeatedly argued that Canada seeks the benefits of being part of the United States without formally joining. He has also accused Canada of imposing tariffs on US products, including on farmers, and said “No more” in relation to those measures.

As Canada prepares its retaliation on 8 September and the US maintains its tariff approach, Carney’s call for a more serious tone underscores the widening gap between the two governments at a moment when both sides say negotiations have stalled.

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2 September 2026

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Remind me... Who walked away from the talks?

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

Remind me... Who walked away from the talks?

The relevance of that to the Trump administration taking the trade talks seriously is...?

Are you suggesting that them walking away from a bad deal is wrong?

Coherence please.

7 minutes ago, Mr Hands said:

The relevance of that to the Trump administration taking the trade talks seriously is...?

Are you suggesting that them walking away from a bad deal is wrong?

Coherence please.

If they were serious, they would have kept negotiating. Not walked away from the table.

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

If they were serious, they would have kept negotiating. Not walked away from the table.

That's childish. There was a midnight deadline. They could not agree terms before the deadline and so they left.

4 minutes ago, Mr Hands said:

That's childish. There was a midnight deadline. They could not agree terms before the deadline and so they left.

Are you claiming they couldn't have asked to come back in the morning?

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

Are you claiming they couldn't have asked to come back in the morning?

It seems that you aren't going to take this discussion seriously. 👋

OMG!!! I thought this was a joke!

Mark Carney really IS upset about our memes of him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

24 minutes ago, FinChin67 said:

OMG!!! I thought this was a joke!

Mark Carney really IS upset about our memes of him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

It's sad to witness the decline of humanity, when bearing witness to posts such as yours and people actually 'liking' them. Is this what passes for political discourse these days? A clown show?

Trump doesn't care about the trade talks or the effect his tariffs have.

I saw Carney already begging for talks again. What a surprise.

It's hard to take Carney seriously though. He walks away from talks, then wants talks? He's a like a menopausal woman.

Trouble is England has nothing to trade to the US.

Dear old Maggie shut down your productive economy.

Nation of shopkeepers and London paper pushers 😉

8 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I saw Carney already begging for talks again. What a surprise.

It's hard to take Carney seriously though. He walks away from talks, then wants talks? He's a like a menopausal woman.

This was probably the straw that broke the Carney's back:

I love Tajana Cekic's take on it. She's a Canuck working in the Texas oilfield. Her YouTube shorts are a hoot. NSFW, though. Turn down the volume if there's kids around (or coworkers).

12 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I saw Carney already begging for talks again. What a surprise.

It's hard to take Carney seriously though. He walks away from talks, then wants talks? He's a like a menopausal woman.

Carney is asking for grown ups for the trade talks and not adolescents playing with maps and AI.

12 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Trouble is England has nothing to trade to the US.

Dear old Maggie shut down your productive economy.

Nation of shopkeepers and London paper pushers 😉

The City always goes where the money is. No point in having a Brit make stuff if the Chinese can do it cheaper.

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

This was probably the straw that broke the Carney's back:

I love Tajana Cekic's take on it. She's a Canuck working in the Texas oilfield. Her YouTube shorts are a hoot. NSFW, though. Turn down the volume if there's kids around (or coworkers).

It's hard not to like Ms Cekic.

4 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Carney is asking for grown ups for the trade talks and not adolescents playing with maps and AI.

Seems to me that Carney pulled the ultimate adolescent tantrum "I'm not playing with you", walked away from the talks and now is begging for talks.

Yah, that'll give you credibility.

5 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Carney is asking for grown ups for the trade talks and not adolescents playing with maps and AI.

Carney needs to look into mirror.

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

The City always goes where the money is. No point in having a Brit make stuff if the Chinese can do it cheaper.

Unfortunately, you have to have something worth trading. That's why it's called trade.

You're saying the only thing that the UK has to trade with the US is extracted, derivative or arbritage wealth.

That's what I used to tell Drainbos who wanted to "trade" for my stuff.

You ain't got nothing I want to trade for.

Your pirates aren't stealing anything useful nowadays. 🙈

6 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Seems to me that Carney pulled the ultimate adolescent tantrum "I'm not playing with you", walked away from the talks and now is begging for talks.

Yah, that'll give you credibility.

He stood up to the bully and his unacceptable one-sided demands. Carney is giving a chance for US to come to the table but only if they behave like grown-ups. That will be extremely difficult when the President is behaving like a 3 years old and his tantrums.

9 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

He stood up to the bully and his unacceptable one-sided demands. Carney is giving a chance for US to come to the table but only if they behave like grown-ups. That will be extremely difficult when the President is behaving like a 3 years old and his tantrums.

Nonsense. Carney was asked not to import Chinese aluminium as Canadian products, to reduce a 50-100 billion USD surplus, all very sensible demands. It's Trump who stood up to the one-sided economic bullying of Canada.

12 minutes ago, FinChin67 said:

Carney needs to look into mirror.

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Nonsense. Carney was asked not to import Chinese aluminium as Canadian products, to reduce a 50-100 billion USD surplus, all very sensible demands. It's Trump who stood up to the one-sided economic bullying of Canada.

That backdoor accusation was not grounded. Canada has a 25% surtax on aluminium from China. US will find impossible to replace the aluminum from Canada but not Canada who can find other customers.

58 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

That backdoor accusation was not grounded. Canada has a 25% surtax on aluminium from China. US will find impossible to replace the aluminum from Canada but not Canada who can find other customers.

A White House report labels Canada one of China's main enablers for routing exports through third-party countries to dodge American levies.

"A new White House trade report says the Trump administration considers Canada among China’s “biggest enablers” in avoiding U.S. tariffs through transshipment, a “modern form of smuggling” that the U.S. claims is costing billions in lost tax revenue.

The report released Thursday from the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — titled “The Great Transshipment Scam” and featuring a timely image of a Trojan horse on the front page — accuses China of routing their exports through third countries with more favourable U.S. tariff rates.

An estimated 40 countries, including Canada, comprise a “shadow transshipment network” used by China, the report argues."

https://globalnews.ca/news/12020367/donald-trump-tariffs-china-canada-transshipment/

28 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

A White House report labels Canada one of China's main enablers for routing exports through third-party countries to dodge American levies.

"A new White House trade report says the Trump administration considers Canada among China’s “biggest enablers” in avoiding U.S. tariffs through transshipment, a “modern form of smuggling” that the U.S. claims is costing billions in lost tax revenue.

The report released Thursday from the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — titled “The Great Transshipment Scam” and featuring a timely image of a Trojan horse on the front page — accuses China of routing their exports through third countries with more favourable U.S. tariff rates.

An estimated 40 countries, including Canada, comprise a “shadow transshipment network” used by China, the report argues."

https://globalnews.ca/news/12020367/donald-trump-tariffs-china-canada-transshipment/

First that report was an allegation and it’s from the office of Peter Navarro, the convicted felon pardoned by Trump. Pretty much conclusive the value of the report. Flush it.

34 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

A White House report labels Canada one of China's main enablers for routing exports through third-party countries to dodge American levies.

"A new White House trade report says the Trump administration considers Canada among China’s “biggest enablers” in avoiding U.S. tariffs through transshipment, a “modern form of smuggling” that the U.S. claims is costing billions in lost tax revenue.

The report released Thursday from the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — titled “The Great Transshipment Scam” and featuring a timely image of a Trojan horse on the front page — accuses China of routing their exports through third countries with more favourable U.S. tariff rates.

An estimated 40 countries, including Canada, comprise a “shadow transshipment network” used by China, the report argues."

https://globalnews.ca/news/12020367/donald-trump-tariffs-china-canada-transshipment/

This is nothing new. Canada is a hub for drugs too and the phenomenon is real. I could back this with personal evidence but that's not for the forum.

After 2018 Chinese exporters visibly shifted some volumes through Vietnam, Mexico, Malaysia, and others. Customs fraud, false origin, and “screwdriver” assembly are documented problems worldwide.

Canada and other named countries have pushed back that they enforce origin rules and that some shifts are normal supply-chain diversification...

Evasion exists and the incentive structure created by high country-specific tariffs makes it worse. Chinese have a way to go around and they do this and are actually encouraged to do this.

Navarro is a Harvard economist who became Trump’s China-tariff guy after writing Death by China. He is an expert in the “China cheats via third countries” argument which is why this report exists and not because he ran a Canadian smelter. He spent 20 years arguing Beijing uses subsidies, currency games, IP theft, and third-country routing to dodge duties. The transshipment report is that same thesis with a new title. It is advocacy from a hawk and not a customs audit of every Quebec smelter. Navarro has been on this exact issue since before Trump’s first term.

Navarro was convicted of contempt of Congress and not of anything China- or tariff-related. Easy for BS artists trying to use that against him.

Need to also correct one BS artist claiming that he was pardoned by Trump. Trump has not pardoned him. Navarro served the four-month sentence in 2024, got out, spoke at the RNC the same day, and was put back in the White House as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. The conviction stayed on the books.

Little about the aluminium. A 25% tax on Chinese aluminum coming into Canada does not prove Chinese metal is not leaving as Canadian. That is the whole transshipment point. Melt/mix/finish and then claim North American origin. Canadas own second surtax on “smelt and cast in China” content exists because the first one left a hole. Also US is not stuck with Canadian metal as the only option and Canada is not one press release away from replacing the US market...

Canada does want to play dirty on this (like the drug trade and massive stolen car operations) and of course they are going with communist China. XI has been welcoming Carney of course, the useful idiot at large.

23 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

First that report was an allegation and it’s from the office of Peter Navarro, the convicted felon pardoned by Trump. Pretty much conclusive the value of the report. Flush it.

Link to Trump's pardoning Peter Navarro? I would flush your idiotic post instead.

5 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Dear old Maggie shut down your productive economy.

You seem somewhat confused about where my economy is?

I think there's a rule about posting videos etc., from non-legitimate sights. Or maybe I misread that somewhere.

8 hours ago, impulse said:

Remind me... Who walked away from the talks?

wouldn't you have done the same with the last minute changes and Trump wanting Canada to bend over and give away their independence, wonder what you would say if that was the other way around, let's imagine Mexico dealing in good faith with the US and at the last minute the Mexicans just told the US if you they want a deal they have to stop speaking English at any state bordering Mexico and only allowed to speak Spanish and give away the American culture

During a news conference on Saturday, Carney there were several outstanding problems Canada had when talks stalled.

That included issues with the levels of auto tariffs, such as which vehicle types would be excluded from a deal, a last-minute addition of restrictions on Canada's ability to strike free trade deals and efforts targeting French language and Quebec culture.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/conservatives-urge-feds-to-release-details-of-us-deal-canada-walked-away-from/ar-AA2aLfbm

Edited 22 hours ago22 hr by Mavideol

34 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

Mexicans just told the US if you they want a deal they have to stop speaking English at any state bordering Mexico

That is obviously not what happened. Carney lied about the French language thing, and totally misrepresented it. It was not about the French language. Bureaucratic requirements driven by Canada's—and specifically Quebec's—strict language laws created an undue burden on American companies, it was about levelling the playing field. But Carney telling lies again.