Carney says U.S. wants to wipe out Canadian industries or make them subsidiaries

OTTAWA - U.S. trade negotiators were pushing for concessions from Canada last month that would have resulted in key industries like automotive becoming subsidiaries of U.S. companies or being entirely phased out, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Tuesday. Canada and the U.S. were engaged in trade negotiations to address irritants between the two nations until late last month.

However, Carney suspended those talks and sent his team home ahead of a U.S.-imposed deadline of Aug. 22. Carney alleged that the U.S. stance was that core Canadian industries would effectively be U.S. subsidiaries or face gradual winding down and "being wiped out" in Canada. Carney emphasized that Canada would not accept such terms.

The prime minister highlighted that there were mutually beneficial elements in the deal before discussions broke down, including concerns over the French language, culture, and trade restrictions with other nations. Canada is open to resuming talks if the U.S. is ready to engage in a "serious" discussion, according to Carney.