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Canada’s Carney links Trump’s 100% tariff threat to North America trade deal review
Canada’s prime minister calls Donald Trump a ‘strong negotiator’ ahead of high-stakes USMCA talks
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday played down US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat against Canada, saying the comments should be viewed with an eye towards a coming trade deal review.
Asked about Trump’s threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports should Ottawa finalise a new trade deal with China, Carney told reporters that the North American free trade deal is up for review this year and “the president is a strong negotiator”.
“I think some of these comments and positioning should be viewed in the broader context of that,” Carney said.
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Trump has so far adhered to most of the existing United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA), which the president negotiated and praised during his first term.
Canada has been hit hard by Trump’s sectoral tariffs – especially in the car, steel and aluminium sectors – but more than 85 per cent of bilateral US-Canada trade has remained tariff-free through the continuing trade war.
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Substantial changes to the USMCA could upend the Canadian economy.
WATCH: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian PM Mark Carney
WATCH: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian PM Mark Carney
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