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CBC
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Carney to speak with Trump today at high-stakes White House meeting
Social Sharing Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet his U.S. counterpart Tuesday for a high-stakes White House meeting — a face-to-face that comes as bilateral relations are at their lowest point in decades and with a trade war raging. Carney triumphed in last week's election in part because of his promise to steadfastly defend Canada in the face of President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs and his 51st state taunts. Now, the country is expecting Carney to deliver some signs of progress and show that his new Liberal government may be able to bring this fractious era to a close. Carney has set low expectations for this meeting, suggesting it may be a while yet before the two countries can craft a new economic and security arrangement now that he says the last one is "over." "I'm not pretending these discussions will be easy. They won't proceed in a straight line, there will be zigs and zags, ups and downs," he told reporters late last week. Asked on Monday what he expects from the meeting, Trump said he didn't know. "He's coming to see me. I'm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal. Everybody does," Trump said. A senior Canadian government official, speaking to CBC News on background ahead of the meeting, said this is the first of what will likely be more meetings between the leaders as the two sides start the work of crafting a new partnership. Carney has some alone time scheduled with the president, beyond the glare of the TV lights, and it's there that the work of getting acquainted and improving relations will begin, the official said. Laura Dawson is a Canada-U.S. relations expert and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition. She said there may not be a satisfactory end to these trade tensions until Carney and his team broker a new Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) with Trump, which is up for review next year. While it may be painful to endure tariffs until then, Dawson said it's in Canada's best interest not to rush into a deal. "Right now, Trump feels like he has all the cards. If we settle very, very quickly, it wouldn't be a good deal for Canada. You only get sharp and quick deals if the other side gives in," she said in an interview. Trio of ministers with Carney As part of the push to overhaul the relationship, Carney will be accompanied by three cabinet ministers who have been active on the Canada-U.S. file since relations went sideways after the presidential election last fall: International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty. LeBlanc has a direct line to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the president's tariff czar, while Joly has been communicating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has emerged as a trusted Trump lieutenant in the first 100 days of the administration. McGuinty, meanwhile, has been leading the federal government's border security build-up to appease Trump's fentanyl and migrant concerns, even though data shows Canada isn't much of a problem compared to Mexico. The latest figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show five kilograms of fentanyl have been seized at the northern border so far this year — compared 3,040 kilograms at the southwestern one. Lutnick spouted off against Canada in an interview with Fox Business just moments after Carney's plane touched down in D.C. on Monday, saying the country has as a "socialist" regime and it's "basically been feeding off of us for decades upon decades upon decades." Beyond the substantive policy changes that could emerge from these meetings, Carney is also looking to avoid this sort of disparaging talk and a possible Oval Office ambush like the one Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endured earlier this year. Vice-President JD Vance, who played a leading role in that confrontation, is expected to be perched on the same couch, at Trump's side, for the Carney meeting. Carney is an experienced global player and he will have been well briefed by the diplomats in Washington about a possible standoff, Dawson said. "Mark Carney has been through this before — he's not going to clutch his pearls and run out of the room. If there's a statement that's a little bit of untoward, he's going to find a way to push through it in as productive a way as possible," she said. But there's no doubt Carney's job is complicated by the president's sometimes erratic behaviour and outbursts. Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of Canada becoming part of the U.S., saying again Sunday he would love to see the "artificial line" between the two countries erased to create a "beautiful" country that runs from the Gulf Coast to the Arctic Circle — something Carney has said will "never, ever" happen. Despite trade data that shows the U.S. relies on Canadian goods — notably importing some four million barrels of oil a day — Trump told Meet the Press again over the weekend that he doesn't need "anything" from Canada. WATCH | Meeting 'extremely risky' for Carney, says ex-diplomat: Trump meeting 'extremely risky' for Carney, says ex-Canadian diplomat 11 hours ago Duration 10:04 Mark Carney's first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday comes with 'significant risks' for the prime minister, says international trade lawyer and former Canadian diplomat Lawrence Herman. Herman says Trump's 51st state threat is sure to come up and the question will be how Carney deals with it. Still, there are signs Trump is less hostile than he was just a few months ago. While he branded former prime minister Justin Trudeau "the governor" in a show of disrespect, Trump has called Carney "a nice gentleman" and said "we're going to have a great relationship." U.S. journalists have also reported Trump was delighted his interventions seemingly had an impact on Canada's vote. There's some hope that those small signs of goodwill could result in some sort of reprieve for Canada, no matter how unlikely it may seem at this stage. "Our prime minister shows strength and that is respected by President Trump," said Candace Laing, the CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "It is important these two leaders have a good connection established so that future communication and follow-ups are easy," she said. Trump is wedded to tariffs as a revenue-generating tool and a way to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and it may be hard to move him from that position, said Everett Eissenstat, who served as deputy director of Trump's National Economic Council during the president's first term. "It's unlikely that the relationship will be sorted out within a single meeting, but it's certainly a good start," he said.
National Observer
05-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Experts see hopeful signs as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to talk trade with Trump
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be watched closely by Canadians infuriated by Donald Trump — and by an anxious business community looking for tariff relief — when he meets with the US president Tuesday in Washington. After months of Trump's annexation threats, the newly elected prime minister will be tasked with a delicate balancing act — showing strength while maintaining Canada's place in a critical North American trade pact the president's tariffs have sought to upend. "My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada," Carney said Friday in his first news conference since the election. The Canada-US-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration. Trump at the time called it the best deal ever and Canadian officials declared it a victory for Canada. CUSMA is up for review next year — but after Trump's return to the White House, it quickly became clear the president intended to rattle the continental trade pact. Canada and Mexico were hit early with tariffs the president linked to the flow of fentanyl and people across the borders. US government data shows a tiny volume of fentanyl is intercepted at the US-Canada border. Both countries were also hit by Trump's steel, aluminum and automobile duties. Trump's provocations included calling then-prime minister Justin Trudeau a "governor" and saying the country would be better off as a US state. Experts see hopeful signs as Mark Carney prepares to talk trade with Trump. While the duties alarmed America's closest neighbours, signs have emerged that the president still values CUSMA — a key achievement of his first administration. When Trump took his trade war to the world with "reciprocal" tariffs in early April, Canada and Mexico weren't included. Trump paused the largest of those duties for 90 days, saying it would allow time to negotiate deals, but kept in place a 10 per cent universal tariff on most imports to the US. "If you read the tea leaves, Canada and Mexico seem to have been set aside … Hopefully that means that the administration is going to be looking at (CUSMA) as a package,' said Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U. S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition. Tuesday's meeting could provide insights into Trump's plan for what was once one of the most stable and friendly bilateral relationships in the world. Trump last week described Carney as "a very nice gentleman" and said he expects to have a "great relationship" with Canada. United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hinted the Trump administration wants to maintain partnerships with its close neighbours. Greer told Fox News last week that "the president very much wants to have a healthy relationship in North America." "We should have more manufacturing in North America — we need to have it in our hemisphere," Greer said. But it's still not clear what Trump's team wants from Canada. Speaking about negotiations with other countries, Greer described a "good deal" as one which sees countries drop tariff levels and remove non-tariff barriers on things like US agricultural products. He said a good deal would address American concerns about digital trade and intellectual property, align export controls for economic security and offer the US commercial opportunities, including investments in critical minerals. CUSMA provided tariff-free trade for nearly all goods between Canada and the United States. The US Department of Defense and Ottawa are already co-investing in Canadian critical mineral projects. Canada imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum, in part to appease US concerns. Steve Verheul, Canada's former top trade negotiator, recently told the Public Policy Forum's Canada Growth Summit that the current atmosphere is similar to the tensions during the first Trump administration after the president tore up the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was replaced by CUSMA. Verheul said the United States put forward "very extreme, completely unacceptable" proposals but Canada eventually navigated the situation by being creative and bringing forward solutions. Although Canada is once again seeing extreme proposals, Verheul said he sees signs of Trump backing down. The president repeatedly postponed tariffs on Canada. While he went forward with the duties in March, he partially walked them back for imports compliant with CUSMA rules only a few days later. Trump also reduced the impact of tariffs on the North American automobile sector. Verheul said Canada is in for "a difficult negotiation" but he thinks there will ultimately be duty-free trade. Canada must show a unified front in its talks with the administration, Dawson said. Trump has already taken notice of the Liberal minority win and said the "tight race" will make it "very complicated for the country." Dawson said Carney should form a multi-party front on trade. During the first Trump administration, Ottawa's cross-party NAFTA advisory panel included Rona Ambrose, the former interim Conservative leader. "There's got to be strong Conservative representation, strong regional representation, strong sectoral representation,' Dawson said. Carney will have to be strategic, she said. Canadian businesses want room for economic growth in Canada and the US, but the prime minister cannot suggest that all is forgiven, Dawson added. "There still is a lot of animosity in Canada," she said. "It's going to be difficult to manage a short-term crisis … with the United States as well as a long-term competitiveness challenge for Canada's domestic economy." Other politicians in Canada will also be watching what happens at Tuesday's meeting, including the leaders of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, who met for the Northern Premiers' Forum on Sunday. When asked what they hoped to see from the Trump-Carney meeting, P.J. Akeeagok, R.J. Simpson and Ranj Pillai noted it was encouraging that projects like an Arctic security corridor in the North are now front-and-centre on the national agenda. "We're very excited to hear some of these big projects on the radar, but we look forward to actually seeing the results and investments actually come. But we've heard (Carney) say he wants to be bold and act very quickly and that's something we very much support here in Nunavut," Akeeagok, Nunavut's premier, told reporters after the forum.
Calgary Herald
04-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
How Mark Carney's first White House visit could shape Canada's economic future
Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney will be watched closely by Canadians infuriated by Donald Trump — and by an anxious business community looking for tariff relief — when he meets with the U.S. president Tuesday in Washington. Article content After months of Trump's annexation threats, the newly elected prime minister will be tasked with a delicate balancing act — showing strength while maintaining Canada's place in a critical North American trade pact the president's tariffs have sought to upend. Article content Article content Article content The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration. Trump at the time called it the best deal ever and Canadian officials declared it a victory for Canada. Article content CUSMA is up for review next year — but after Trump's return to the White House, it quickly became clear the president intended to rattle the continental trade pact. Article content Canada and Mexico were hit early with tariffs the president linked to the flow of fentanyl and people across the borders. U.S. government data shows a tiny volume of fentanyl is intercepted at the U.S.-Canada border. Both countries were also hit by Trump's steel, aluminum and automobile duties. Article content Trump's provocations included calling then-prime minister Justin Trudeau a 'governor' and saying the country would be better off as a U.S. state. Article content While the duties alarmed America's closest neighbours, signs have emerged that the president still values CUSMA — a key achievement of his first administration. Article content Article content When Trump took his trade war to the world with 'reciprocal' tariffs in early April, Canada and Mexico weren't included. Trump paused the largest of those duties for 90 days, saying it would allow time to negotiate deals, but kept in place a 10 per cent universal tariff on most imports to the U.S. Article content Article content 'If you read the tea leaves, Canada and Mexico seem to have been set aside… Hopefully that means that the administration is going to be looking at (CUSMA) as a package,' said Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U.S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition. Article content Tuesday's meeting could provide insights into Trump's plan for what was once one of the most stable and friendly bilateral relationships in the world. Trump last week described Carney as 'a very nice gentleman' and said he expects to have a 'great relationship' with Canada.
National Post
04-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
How Mark Carney's first White House visit could shape Canada's economic future
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be watched closely by Canadians infuriated by Donald Trump — and by an anxious business community looking for tariff relief — when he meets with the U.S. president Tuesday in Washington. Article content After months of Trump's annexation threats, the newly elected prime minister will be tasked with a delicate balancing act — showing strength while maintaining Canada's place in a critical North American trade pact the president's tariffs have sought to upend. Article content 'My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada,' Carney said Friday in his first news conference since the election. Article content Article content The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration. Trump at the time called it the best deal ever and Canadian officials declared it a victory for Canada. Article content CUSMA is up for review next year — but after Trump's return to the White House, it quickly became clear the president intended to rattle the continental trade pact. Article content Canada and Mexico were hit early with tariffs the president linked to the flow of fentanyl and people across the borders. U.S. government data shows a tiny volume of fentanyl is intercepted at the U.S.-Canada border. Both countries were also hit by Trump's steel, aluminum and automobile duties. Article content Trump's provocations included calling then-prime minister Justin Trudeau a 'governor' and saying the country would be better off as a U.S. state. Article content While the duties alarmed America's closest neighbours, signs have emerged that the president still values CUSMA — a key achievement of his first administration. Article content Article content When Trump took his trade war to the world with 'reciprocal' tariffs in early April, Canada and Mexico weren't included. Trump paused the largest of those duties for 90 days, saying it would allow time to negotiate deals, but kept in place a 10 per cent universal tariff on most imports to the U.S. Article content Article content 'If you read the tea leaves, Canada and Mexico seem to have been set aside… Hopefully that means that the administration is going to be looking at (CUSMA) as a package,' said Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U.S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition. Article content Tuesday's meeting could provide insights into Trump's plan for what was once one of the most stable and friendly bilateral relationships in the world. Trump last week described Carney as 'a very nice gentleman' and said he expects to have a 'great relationship' with Canada.
Vancouver Sun
04-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
How Mark Carney's first White House visit could shape Canada's economic future
Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney will be watched closely by Canadians infuriated by Donald Trump — and by an anxious business community looking for tariff relief — when he meets with the U.S. president Tuesday in Washington. Article content After months of Trump's annexation threats, the newly elected prime minister will be tasked with a delicate balancing act — showing strength while maintaining Canada's place in a critical North American trade pact the president's tariffs have sought to upend. Article content Article content Article content The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration. Trump at the time called it the best deal ever and Canadian officials declared it a victory for Canada. Article content CUSMA is up for review next year — but after Trump's return to the White House, it quickly became clear the president intended to rattle the continental trade pact. Canada and Mexico were hit early with tariffs the president linked to the flow of fentanyl and people across the borders. U.S. government data shows a tiny volume of fentanyl is intercepted at the U.S.-Canada border. Both countries were also hit by Trump's steel, aluminum and automobile duties. Article content Trump's provocations included calling then-prime minister Justin Trudeau a 'governor' and saying the country would be better off as a U.S. state. Article content While the duties alarmed America's closest neighbours, signs have emerged that the president still values CUSMA — a key achievement of his first administration. Article content Article content When Trump took his trade war to the world with 'reciprocal' tariffs in early April, Canada and Mexico weren't included. Trump paused the largest of those duties for 90 days, saying it would allow time to negotiate deals, but kept in place a 10 per cent universal tariff on most imports to the U.S. Article content Article content Article content 'If you read the tea leaves, Canada and Mexico seem to have been set aside… Hopefully that means that the administration is going to be looking at (CUSMA) as a package,' said Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U.S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition. Article content Tuesday's meeting could provide insights into Trump's plan for what was once one of the most stable and friendly bilateral relationships in the world. Trump last week described Carney as 'a very nice gentleman' and said he expects to have a 'great relationship' with Canada.
