OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is calling on U.S. officials to quit the online attacks and take trade discussions more seriously, amid broken-down talks and increased acrimony between the two countries.
Carney made the comments in Ottawa on Tuesday when answering reporters’ questions following a trio of byelection victories Monday night.
“And when the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said. “But it’s not constructive.”
After weeks of intense talks, Canada and the U.S. failed to strike a last-minute trade deal late last month, leading to Trump’s new slate of 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods to come into effect. The affected items include those covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
In response, Carney has announced Canada will impose counter-tariffs on nearly $28 billion worth of American goods starting Sept. 8.
The rhetoric by U.S. officials has since largely devolved into insults in social media posts, including with Trump calling Canada “one of the worst abusers” and signing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario.
Trump and his administration have also posted a series of memes online since talks broke down — many of them AI-generated — such as a LEGO-style map of the United States featuring Lake Ontario renamed “Lake America,” and an image of a bald eagle pinning a Canada goose to the ground.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also posted an image to social media on Monday of Canadian cadets, seemingly mocking and body-shaming them, with the caption: “this is real.”
“The attitude of the United States in these discussions, and subsequently, has been one that four Canadian industries either would be subsidiaries, effectively, of the United States industries, or would put in place terms where those industries would be gradually wound down in Canada,” Carney said of the status of trade talks.
“Of course we’re not going to accept those terms,” he added. “And by the way, it’s misguided.”
Carney also said there remain “elements of (a) mutually beneficial deal” that both parties are “moving towards.”
During CTV News’ special byelection coverage Monday night, meanwhile, political panellists all emphasized how much the events of the last few weeks on the Canada-U.S. trade file — and specifically Trump’s actions and comments— drove the vote.
“Trump is shaking the table, I think, in every part of this country, in politics from sea to sea, including Quebec,” said Kory Teneycke, a former director of communications for former prime minister Stephen Harper.
After Carney won last year’s general election largely on the promise of being the best person to deal with Trump, he swept all three ridings in Monday night’s byelections.
“They’ve given their support more than 50 per cent in each of these ridings to the government’s plan, and I think that’s because Canadians are united and Canadians are ready,” Carney said, referencing Monday night’s byelection results.
“That’s been the plan of this government since the start,” he also said, pointing to the push to buy Canadian. “We’ve been putting it in place; it’s working. Still early days, but it’s working.”
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello and Stephanie Ha
