Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rebuked the Trump administration on Monday, urging officials in Washington to “start being serious” as trade tensions between the two countries deepened. His comments came days before Ottawa is set to impose retaliatory duties on US goods.
Canada is preparing to answer President Donald Trump’s tariffs with its own levies on American products. Carney criticized US officials for insulting his country and its military, saying such conduct fell below the standards of their positions.
“It is beneath their office,” Carney said when asked about remarks from Trump Cabinet secretaries directed at Canada’s armed forces. He accused administration figures of “doing memes” and “throwing shade” rather than engaging seriously on trade.
The dispute forms part of a broader confrontation over Trump’s sweeping tariff regime, which has drawn responses from several US trading partners. Canada, one of Washington’s closest economic partners, has moved toward direct countermeasures after earlier attempts to reach an accommodation.
Relations between the two governments have soured over months of tariff threats and pauses. Earlier this year, Trump warned Ottawa with a possible 100% tariff, and Carney has said the US president aimed to damage Canada’s auto industry through trade pressure.
Carney has also positioned Canada to diversify its trade relationships, though he ruled out pursuing a free trade agreement with China after Trump’s earlier tariff threats. The prime minister has framed the current standoff as one requiring seriousness rather than provocation.
The retaliatory duties are scheduled to take effect in the coming days, targeting a range of US goods. Ottawa has not published a final list of affected products alongside the prime minister’s remarks.
Canadian officials are expected to confirm the scope of the measures before they come into force later this week.