Carney, Trump to meet in 1st White House sit-down on tariffs, sovereignty
Prime Minister Mark Carney is due to sit down with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for what is expected to be a high-stakes meeting on the future of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Carney travelled to Washington on Monday, his first foreign trip since winning a minority Liberal government in last week’s federal election, for what the prime minister has said will be the first in a series of discussions on tariffs, military cooperation and other issues.
“The meeting will focus on both the immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship between the two sovereign nations,” a Friday statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says.
Trump on Monday professed ignorance about his expectations for the meeting, or even what it would focus on.
“I’m not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “Everybody does.”
Trump has called Carney “a gentleman” who “couldn’t have been nicer” when the two leaders spoke by phone last week, during which Trump congratulated Carney for his election win.
Carney told reporters Friday the discussions will be serious, but lowered expectations that any “deal” or even the beginnings of an agreement will come out of the sit-down.
“We do not expect white smoke out of that meeting,” he said, referring to the signal used by the Vatican to mark the election of a new pope.
“I’m not pretending the discussions will be easy. They won’t proceed in a straight line. There will be zigs and zags, ups and downs. But as I said in my remarks, I will fight for the best deal for Canada, and only accept the best deal for Canada and take as much time as necessary.”
Trump has long complained about the relationship with Canada, which he argues has “ripped off” the U.S. on trade, military spending and other issues.
He has imposed multiple levels of tariffs that have impacted Canada’s auto, steel and aluminum sectors, as part of a strategy to bolster U.S. manufacturing.
A new tariff threat was launched this week, when Trump proposed a 100 per cent tariff on foreign film production, with no details on how such a tariff would work. Canada is a top destination for Hollywood film shoots and post-production services.
Trump has also repeatedly suggested Canada should become part of the U.S., calling the border between the two countries “artificial.” He affirmed in recent interviews that he’s serious about the threat, but told NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview that aired Sunday that annexing Canada with military action was “highly unlikely.”
Carney said Friday he wouldn’t entertain any threats to Canada’s sovereignty during Tuesday’s meeting.
“It’s always important to distinguish want from reality,” he said. “What the Canadian people clearly have stated, virtually without exception, is this will never, ever happen.”
Despite Carney playing down any deals from the meeting, Canada’s premiers have made clear they have their own expectations.
“I want the prime minister to be strong, I want him to stand up for our country, I want him to take no guff from the president, and I want him to be constructive and to underline the shared prosperity that we’ve enjoyed and can be expanded if we work together,” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters Monday.
He said issues specific to his province, including U.S. duties on softwood lumber, should be on the table.
globalnews
