TORONTO: Prime Minister Mark Carney says he won’t rush a trade agreement with the United States if the terms aren’t in Canada’s best interests, and has suggested he expects his country will still be in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs after the US midterm elections.
Carney told Politico that he wouldn’t sign something that he thinks is a bad deal, even if that means waiting for a new president in the White House.
“There’s a deal to have with the United States. We can do that quickly. But if there’s not something that’s in Canada’s interest, we’re not going to do it just for the sake of it,” he told the news outlet in an interview published last Friday.
Asked if that meant he would be willing to hang on until the next US administration, Carney replied: “Well, if that’s what it takes, yeah.”
In a separate interview with Montreal’s La Presse, the prime minister hinted that he doesn’t believe the outcome of the elections in the United States will cause a significant shift in Trump’s direction on trade.
“This administration has no agreement with any country that does not include tariffs. That’s the reality. The question is how high the tariffs will be.”
Polls point to Democrats likely taking control of the US House of Representatives, but it’s far from clear which party will emerge with a majority in the Senate as races in states including Michigan, Maine and Alaska appear to be extremely tight.
The US-Canada tariff battle has been an issue in some border states, to the point where Trump agreed to alter some tariffs against Canadian products to help Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican who’s in a tough fight to retain the seat she has held for nearly three decades.
Carney made the remarks to the two media outlets as his government held a summit with European officials in Montreal.
Canada has been deepening ties with other nations and trying to diversify its trade relationships so that it’s less reliant on the United States.
At the summit, Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen forged ahead with the outline of a so-called “alliance for the future” that would include more integrated supply chains, coordinated economic-security policies, defense cooperation and investment into critical raw materials.
Carney described Trump’s policy toward Russia as “unhelpful” as other countries try to bolster Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against attacks. He told Politico his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin is that Canada is going to tighten sanctions further. — Bloomberg
