WASHINGTON — The trade fight between the United States and Canada is rapidly escalating.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described his country’s latest tariff clash with Washington as nothing short of a trade “war,” prompting a sharp response Sunday from President Trump, who accused Canada of wanting “the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!”
“We were attacked. You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” Carney told reporters Saturday. “That’s fine. We’ve got the reserves. We’ve got the resilience. We’ve got the plan. We’ve got the focus. We will respond.”
Carney also criticized the Trump administration, accusing it of attempting to force Canada into accepting “a bad deal.”
The latest confrontation began Saturday, when the Trump administration slapped a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian products, including beer, cheese and electronics, reviving a major trade dispute between the neighboring countries.
The new duties are expected to affect roughly $28 billion in imports and add to existing tariffs already targeting Canadian aluminum, lumber, vehicles and steel.
Trump, who has frequently sparred with Canada over tariffs and has repeatedly floated the idea of the country becoming America’s 51st state, blasted Ottawa’s trade policies toward the US.
“Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!” Trump wrote early Sunday on Truth Social.
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Carney, who vowed to retaliate, blamed the collapse of trade talks with the US on last-minute demands from Washington and alleged that Trump was attempting to rip Ottawa’s sovereignty away.
“It’s a power play. And it becomes a question of sovereignty,” Carney said. “We’re a proud independent country. We’ve got the right values. We’ll make our decisions about who we want to trade with and how, and including on how we work with the United States and other partners.”
Canada’s prime minister also alleged that Trump was demanding America’s northern neighbor “change its French language, Quebec culture and Canadian identity as a condition for reversing tariffs.”
“This is no longer about a trade deal — it is about a takeover of Canada’s sovereignty and identity,” he added.
At issue was whether language and cultural barriers in Quebec undermined US trade there.
The Canadian PM, who previously served as a central banker, declared that retaliatory tariffs on the US will go into effect on Sept. 8. He said Canada will match the US “dollar for dollar.”
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer vowed that Washington will respond to any trade retaliation from Canada.
“For decades, Canada has enjoyed the most favorable access to the U.S. market of any country. And from the beginning of President Trump’s trade program, Canada has continued to enjoy the best treatment in the world,” Greer said in a Friday statement.
The trade war with Canada could roil Senate races in Michigan and Maine, states that have a lot of trade with America’s northern neighbor.
Trump is using Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose those duties on Canada. That authority lets the president slap tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that discriminate against American commerce.
