() Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with President Donald Trump Tuesday as the two countries have yet to reach a trade deal.
Trump opened the meeting with comments about the longstanding relationship between the two countries and touting his proposed peace deal in Gaza.
The president voiced his opinion that not all federal employees deserve to receive back pay if they were furloughed during the government shutdown, implying that some may not get the compensation mandated by Congress.
Next year, the White House plans to assess a vital free-trade agreement, and Canada, which sends 77% of its exports to the United States, has yet to finalize a deal to reduce tariffs.
Trump has also made repeated comments about making Canada the 51st state, creating tension in a normally strong alliance.
“We’ve had ups and downs, but this is the lowest point in relations that I can recall,” commented Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. and now the deputy chairman of TD Bank.
“Canadians are not being told what to do. They are simply expressing their stance,” he mentioned. “Every day, I speak with regular citizens who are altering their vacation plans, and I converse with large business owners who are relocating incentive trips or executive business trips. There’s a clear rebellion.”
Steel and aluminum are two areas where Canada is likely to seek relief from Trump’s stiff tariffs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
