Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on July 21 (local time) that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to strengthen trade negotiations in response to the U.S. announcement of new tariffs.
Meeting with reporters in Ottawa that day, Prime Minister Carney pointed out, "Yesterday, the U.S. announced that it would implement new trade measures against Canada," adding, "This is the latest in a series of measures that directly violate the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)."
"I spoke with President Trump this morning," he said. "We agreed to intensify negotiations over the coming weeks, and my team and I look forward to that."
Prime Minister Carney explained, "The first goal is, of course, to reach a comprehensive agreement that benefits both countries," noting that "this is consistent with the current CUSMA and the future of CUSMA."
When asked about potential countermeasures should the U.S. tariffs take effect, he replied, "If they actually go into effect, we will consider all options."
The previous day, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing an additional 50% tariff on certain Canadian products, citing Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
The new tariffs, which target products including wine, hockey sticks, and cement, will take effect in 30 days.
While meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House that day, President Trump was asked if the tariffs were a response to the Canadian wildfire situation. He replied, "That is a separate issue. We are looking at that separately."
He continued, "They need the United States to survive. There is no way they can survive without us," adding, "But Canada has been very, very tough on us for over 50 years."
Previously, President Trump had threatened via social media that Canada should face additional tariffs in connection with the severe air pollution in the eastern U.S. caused by smoke from recent Canadian wildfires.
The Trump administration stated that the new tariff measures announced the previous day are a response to Canada's discriminatory treatment of U.S. products.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)