Canada PM says 'cannot accept' what US asked for on trade

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney firmly rejected United States trade demands, announcing retaliatory steel and dairy tariffs on Saturday. The rejection came after the Canadian and US negotiators failed to reach an agreement on trade during discussions in Washington. The breakdown of negotiations saw the US impose new 50-percent tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, covering 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the US. These impacted products include hockey sticks, cement, and various other goods.

US President Donald Trump had expressed confidence in Canada forming a mutually beneficial agreement, citing his positive relationship with Carney. However, Carney claimed that US terms were ultimately unacceptable, describing them as uneconomic, unfair, and detrimental to Canada's net benefits and the reliability of any deal. Carney accused Trump of initiating a trade war, stating, "You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked."

The retaliatory Canadian tariffs will specifically target the US steel and dairy industries, coming into effect on September 8. Further details about these tariffs are expected to be released the following week. Earlier, US Trade Representative Jamie M. Greer announced that Washington offered significant tariff reductions on steel, aluminum, automobiles, and lumber in exchange for concessions from Canada.

However, Carney dismissed these offers as insufficient, maintaining that Canada would not accept or reciprocate the US demands.