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CTV News
13 minutes ago
- Business
- CTV News
Carney casts doubt on Canada securing a tariff-free deal with Trump
Canada's prime minister is forging ahead with plans to come to a trade agreement with the United States. CTV National's Colton Praill on the upcoming meeting. Most countries will likely have to accept some baseline tariff rate on their goods by the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled Tuesday morning, on his way into a meeting with his cabinet on Parliament Hill. 'There is not much evidence at the moment — from the deals, agreements and negotiations with the Americans, for any country or any jurisdiction — to get a deal without tariffs,' Carney said in French, when asked whether he believes it's possible to have the levies removed entirely. Canada, he added, is uniquely positioned to have effectively free trade with the United States. A slate of stacked U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, as well as Canadian countermeasures, have been in place for months. Following the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last month, Carney signalled he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to iron out a trade deal before July 21. But, in a letter addressed to Carney and posted to Truth Social last week, Trump said he'll be hitting Canada with 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian products starting Aug. 1. Carney subsequently revised the deadline to reach a deal to that date. Carney also told reporters before Tuesday's cabinet meeting that he expects talks with the United States will 'intensify' in the next few weeks. 'At the same time, we need to recognize that the commercial landscape globally has changed,' he said. 'It has changed in a fundamental manner, and we will continue to focus on what we can most control, which is building a strong Canadian economy. It's part of what we'll be discussing at cabinet today.' The prime minister added that the situation needs to be 'stabilized,' especially for the sectors that are particularly affected by Trump's tariffs. Carney is also set to meet with Canada's premiers in Huntsville, Ont., next week. Carney comments a 'wake-up call': trade lawyer William Pellerin, an international trade lawyer with McMillan and former litigator for Canada in trade disputes with the United States, said Carney's comments on Tuesday can serve as a 'bit of a wake-up call for Canadians and Canadian businesses that we might not get back to a place of no tariffs.' Speaking to CTV News, Pellerin said businesses should prepare for that to be the case. Pellerin said there is 'a lot of scenario planning' underway for Canadian businesses and industry, while Carney's comments could be 'laying the groundwork or setting expectations' for Canadians. 'I think there's still quite a bit of optimism and hope that we will get to a reasonable place with the United States as our, by far, largest trading partner,' he said. 'But today might have been kind of the first opening, or the first time that we've really heard that we might not get there.' Speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday, Carney indicated Canada has one of the lowest effective tariff rates compared to other countries. According to Pellerin, Canada is 'actually not doing terribly.' He said while there are some sectors that have been hit with more punishing tariffs — such as steel and aluminum — the vast majority of goods being compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement brings the average, or effective, tariff rate down. 'If Canada could get to a place where we have just a very low baseline tariff that applies only to a certain subsect of products, I think we could be OK,' Pellerin said. 'But certainly, right now, the steel industry and others are really suffering.' Most prefer 'hard' approach to Trump: survey Amid the ongoing negotiations with the U.S., new data from the Angus Reid Institute show nearly two thirds of survey respondents want to see the Canadian government take a harder line. According to the new numbers, 63 per cent of people want to see a 'hard approach,' which the polling firm characterizes as 'refusing difficult concessions even if it means a worsening of trade relations with the U.S.' Meanwhile, 37 per cent of people prefer a 'soft approach,' which the firm considers 'making difficult concessions to keep a good relationship with our biggest trading partner.' 'When the political rhetoric trickles down to things like household income and people feeling secure or insecure as to whether or not they're going to have a job next year, that's really where we have to see how much of that elbows up rhetoric continues to hold,' said Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl, in an interview with CTV News. The Angus Reid survey also laid out which concessions in which sectors — such as supply management, the digital services tax, fresh water, and defence spending, for example — Canadians may or may not be willing to make. The data from Angus Reid about a hard versus soft approach to negotiations were taken before Trump's letter threatening 35 per cent levies. Kurl said there was already a 'significant amount of division' among Canadians when it comes to their confidence in Carney's ability to effectively negotiate with Trump, even before the president's latest threat. Nearly half of respondents (48 per cent), she said, are confident the two leaders can hash out a deal, whether they trust Carney can negotiate one, or because they believe Trump will back down on his threat. Conversely, Kurl said, 45 per cent say they're not confident in an imminent deal, whether that's because they don't trust the prime minister, or because they believe Trump is 'too unpredictable and too capricious.' 'And therefore, no matter what we do, we can stand on our head, it still won't matter,' she said. 'So those really represent an almost even division between those who are confident and those who are not confident,' Kurl also said. With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello and Colton Praill
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carney says US-Canada trade deal likely to include some tariffs
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada may have to accept some tariffs as part of a trade deal with the United States. "There's not a lot of evidence right now" that the Trump administration would be willing to completely give up on the levies in any agreement, he said on Tuesday, as reported by CBC News. Speaking to journalists ahead of a cabinet meeting in Ottawa, the prime minister said in French that all of Trump's trade negotiations have thus far included tariffs. Last week, US President Donald Trump announced he would impose a new 35% duty on Canadian goods starting on 1 August. Canada and the US have been in a trade war since Trump took office in January, with Trump imposing both targeted tariffs on to Canada and global levies that have been painful on certain Canadian sectors. Canada imposed its own counter measures in response. Carney did not say on Tuesday if he was willing to accept the levies in any deal with the US. At the G7 summit in mid-June, he said that he would only sign an agreement "that's in Canada's best interest". He also indicated that he would be willing to impose further counter-tariffs if Ottawa and Washington could not strike a deal. In addition to the latest threatened 35% tariff on Canada - an increase from the current 25%, which includes significant exemptions - Trump has imposed a global 50% tariff on aluminium and steel imports, and a 25% tariff on all cars and trucks not built in the US. The US president also recently announced a 50% tariff on copper imports, scheduled to take effect next month. Canada sells about three-quarters of its goods to the US, and is an auto manufacturing hub and a major supplier of metals, making the US tariffs especially damaging to those sectors. Still, much of the cross-border trade between the US, Canada and Mexico is exempt from additional levies under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (Cusma). US media have reported that the agreement remains in place for now. A recent report from the Royal Bank of Canada stated that Canada's exports to the US fell since April, but compliance with Cusma has risen. Around 91% of Canadian exports to the US crossed the border duty-free, the bank said, citing data from the US Census Bureau. In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Trump said the US was "negotiating with Canada right now" and it was going to "work out very well". Trump threatens 35% tariffs on Canadian goods Canada's Carney talked tough on Trump - now some say he's backing down 'We have all the cards' - Trump says he is ending Canada trade talks Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Politico
3 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Carney concedes any deal with Trump will include tariffs
'Canada's objectives are pretty straightforward,' Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador in Washington and chief negotiator, told CTV News last month. 'We negotiated under the [United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement] a 99 percent tariff-free trading relationship with the Americans. That's the deal that we struck. That's the deal that we think is fair.' The precise terms of Canada's negotiating position are unclear, but Trump acknowledged at the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta last month that Carney's offer differed from the president's pro-tariff preference. 'We're gonna see if we can get to the bottom of it today. I'm a tariff person. I've always been a tariff person. It's simple, it's easy, it's precise, and it just goes very quickly,' Trump said before a bilateral meeting with the Canadians. 'I think Mark has a more complex idea but it's still very good,' he added. Carney was elected in April after a polarized campaign dominated by Trump, tariffs and trade policy. 'President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us,' the prime minister said in his election night victory speech. 'That will never ever happen.' 'America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,' Carney warned more than once. 'These are not idle threats.' The prime minister has since changed his messaging, and his working relationship with the president is said to be cordial. Still, in a letter addressed to Carney last week, Trump advised that Canadian goods imported into the U.S. could face a blanket 35 percent tariff starting next month. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations, told POLITICO the administration plans to impose the tariff only on goods that do not comply with the USMCA. Canada had been preparing to double its countertariffs on U.S. metals on July 21 — to 50 percent from 25 percent — but announced last week it was pausing that plan as negotiations continue. Carney's government had previously announced plans to drop its Digital Services Tax. Negotiations toward an Aug. 1 deadline set by Trump 'will intensify,' Carney said Tuesday.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Making Unprecedented Second UK State Visit: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain has been set for September, marking a historic moment for the president. Charles will host Trump at Windsor Castle, just like he did Emmanuel Macron of France last week. "The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 17 September to 19 September 2025," Buckingham Palace's announcement read. "His Majesty The King will host The President and Mrs. Trump at Windsor Castle." Trump will become the first president to make two official state visits to the U.K. King Charles III and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during their state visit, in London, on June 4, 2019. King Charles III and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during their state visit, in London, on June 4, 2019. Chris Jackson -Donald Trump's Arrival The details are still being finalized but one option would be to mirror the choreography from Macron's visit, which saw the French president arrive at R.A.F. Northolt, in West London. Macron was greeted there by Prince William and Princess Kate before traveling some 14 miles to Windsor Castle for the official welcoming ceremony. Trump touched down at Stansted during two visits in his first term but those were London-based and the commercial airport is further from Windsor than R.A.F. Northolt. Official Welcome One decision, though, will be whether to offer Trump a carriage procession through Windsor as part of the official ceremonial, as was done for Macron. Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I, told Newsweek: "R.A.F. Northolt will be repeated because that is standard for a state visit to Windsor but what won't be repeated is the carriage drive around the town. "I just cannot see the Secret Service allowing it to happen when you could have someone in an upstairs window taking a potshot at the President. "There's no way that the carriage ride is going to happen which is a shame. It was so intimate for Charles and Macron because it was Windsor and you're quite close up to what was happening, but its definitely not going to happen." What there will likely be is a Guard of Honor at the Quadrangle in Windsor Castle, which Trump and Charles will likely inspect together. Another precedent is Joe Biden's visit to the U.K. in June 2021 which ran along those lines. Biden had been at the G7 summit in Cornwall and helicoptered into Windsor where there was a guard of honor formed of The Queen's Company, First Battalion, Grenadier Guards. Queen Elizabeth II then met Biden privately in Windsor Castle but there were posed photos in The Grand Corridor, George IV's largest addition and where he hung his most impressive artwork, according to the Royal Collection Trust. Protests The Stop Trump Coalition is planning a protest for September 17 at 2 p.m. in London, according to its website. A further protest will be organized at Windsor, The Independent reported. Trump's past visits have attracted major demonstrations, hence the absence of a carriage procession in his first term, due to security fears. Royal carriages are, of course, not quite as impenetrable as the presidential state car, nicknamed The Beast. In 2018, there were reportedly 250,000 protesters in London, according to The Independent. The president is no more popular in Britain now, with polling by YouGov showing 57 percent of Brits think he has been a "terrible president," 13 percent a "poor president," 9 percent a "good president" and 4 percent a "great president," as of June 23. The location in Windsor, however, may dissuade the less dedicated demonstrators, with only the more motivated willing to make the train journey west from London. Donald Trump's U.K. Itinerary Major renovations at Buckingham Palace mean the three-day visit will be hosted at Windsor Castle, but the President is also expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which could happen either in Windsor or in London. Unlike Macron, though, there are no plans for Trump to address Parliament, in part because Britain's legislature will be in recess. They could hypothetically recall Parliament but that would be a gift to any politicians who might want to rock Starmer's diplomatic apple cart and there are plenty of those within his own party. Starmer and Trump will have much to talk about with the war between Russia and Ukraine high up the agenda, perhaps alongside trade, and the entire purpose of the visit is part of the U.K. Government's charm offensive to keep the President on the same page as Britain diplomatically. There will be a State Banquet and the royals will be out in force, with tiaras likely for the grand occasion. Princess Kate made it to Macron's visit and wore the Lover's Knot Tiara, which she paired with a Givenchy gown by Sarah Burton, her wedding dress designer. One other possibility is Trump may, like Macron, privately visit St George's Chapel, in Windsor, to lay flowers on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. Trump did not attend her funeral or her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall as Joe Biden was president at the time, so it would be an opportunity to pay his respects to a woman he has said he had huge respect for. The View at the Palace A palace aide told Newsweek earlier this year how Trump's team were easy to work with during his first term, in no small part because the president loves the Monarchy. "Everyone who was around at the time when the President visited recalls it with genuine warmth," they said, "and actually both the team and the principals were incredibly courteous, polite, engaged and engaging. "So it's one of those visits that's remembered with great affection and positivity here." King Charles' Invitation to Trump In February 2025, during Starmer's official visit to Washington, he hand-delivered Trump a letter from King Charles, inviting him for a second state visit. The Oval Office moment was carefully orchestrated: Starmer presented the letter publicly in front of the cameras. Trump, visibly intrigued, remarked, "Am I supposed to read it right now?" as he examined the private, signed letter before the gathered media. "This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented," Starmer said. "I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us." "I think the last state visit was a tremendous success," he continued. "His Majesty the King wants to make this even better than that. So, this is truly historic." Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
Euractiv
3 hours ago
- Business
- Euractiv
EU delays decision on 18th sanctions package on Russia
European Union foreign affairs ministers on Tuesday failed to unanimously back the bloc's 18th package of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, after Slovakia sustained its veto. "I'm really sad that we didn't reach this agreement today," said EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, after a ministerial meeting in Brussels with the war in Ukraine being at the top of the agenda. The proposed set of punitive measures targets Russia's financial and energy sectors in response to President Vladimir Putin's refusal to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. The sanctions were however put on hold after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico last month said he is not ready to endorse the proposal, citing concerns over Slovakia's gas imports. "I must say that we were really close to reassure Slovakia," Kallas said. "Now, the ball is in Slovakia's court, and we must get this deal done." All of the EU's 27 members have to back new sanctions before they can be implemented. "Sanctions are necessary to starve Russia of the means to wage this war. The European Union will keep rising the cost, so stopping its aggression becomes the only path forward to Moscow," Kallas said. Arriving at the meeting, German Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum said the new measures should be adopted "as quickly as possible." "It is important to take decisive action now to ensure that Russia is put under pressure and that Ukraine is put in a very strong negotiating position," he said. "Only then will it be possible to reach a fair agreement at the end of the day." Under the plans, the international price cap on Russian oil exports would be lowered to $45 per barrel, down from $60 per barrel, but the measure failed to receive unanimous backing at a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced Western democracies last month. "Even if the Americans are not onboard, but the other G7 countries are onboard, then we will move on with this," Kallas said. Kallas said she welcomed the announcement by the US that it is sending defensive weapons to Ukraine, adding that she hopes "they will get all [that] they have been promised." EU ministers also discussed Russia's war with their Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, who joined the meeting by video-link. The situation in the Middle East was also on the agenda of the meeting, after the EU announced last week a deal with Israel on improving access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. (vib)
