Canada-US rift deepens as Carney vows retaliatory tariffs after trade talks fail

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed on Saturday to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States after negotiations for a trade deal ended in failure, exacerbating tensions between the close allies. Talks between the neighboring nations broke down on Friday in Washington, leading to the implementation of new 50-percent US tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of goods, which constitute 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the United States.

The affected products include hockey sticks and cement. U.S. President Donald Trump had claimed that Washington could reach a deal with Canada given their "good relationship," as per Carney. However, the Canadian prime minister argued that Trump had set conditions that were ultimately unacceptable. "We believed earlier this week that we were moving towards a mutually beneficial agreement," Carney said in the Canadian capital, Ottawa.

"In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair, and undermined the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal. In short, they asked too much and they offered too little," he stated. Carney accused Trump of launching a trade "war," saying, "You're at war when you get attacked.

We got attacked." The new Canadian tariffs will notably target the U.S. steel and dairy industries, set to take effect on September 8. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer disclosed on Friday that Washington had offered "significant tariff reductions on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber" in exchange for concessions from Canada. However, Greer also warned that further discussions between the two countries may not resume soon.