Ottawa (Rajeev Sharma): Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday said Canada’s relationship with the United States remains on stable footing despite heightened rhetoric and tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of a key trade agreement review.
Speaking briefly to reporters before a cabinet meeting, Carney said Ottawa continues to have “good conversations” and constructive exchanges with Washington, even as attention intensifies around bilateral trade and security issues.
Canada’s free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico (CUSMA) is scheduled for a formal review in July. Carney said Trump’s recent threat of imposing 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods should be viewed within the broader context of the upcoming negotiations.
“There’s a lot of work to be done for the review of CUSMA,” Carney said, noting that internal reviews are already underway in the United States, have begun in Mexico, and are complete in Canada. He added that when formal talks begin, Canada will be fully prepared.
Earlier this week, Carney suggested the U.S. president may already be positioning himself for negotiations through sharp rhetoric, including tariff warnings, repeated references to Carney as a “governor,” and claims that Canada is undermining itself by deepening trade ties with China. On Monday, Carney described Trump as a “strong negotiator.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is focusing on Arctic sovereignty issues in Ottawa, underscoring Canada’s broader diplomatic and strategic priorities as it navigates evolving global pressures.
The comments come amid a busy political week, with reports suggesting Carney may visit India in early March, ongoing fallout from Trump’s remarks about China’s influence in Canada, and continued scrutiny of the prime minister’s recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
