OTTAWA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and the two sides had agreed to intensify trade negotiations.
"I spoke with President Trump earlier this morning. We agreed to intensify negotiations in the coming weeks and the team and myself look forward to doing that," Carney said.
"We will look at all options in terms of how we would respond if (the tariffs) do come into effect," Carney said.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump defended the administration's tariff policies, emphasizing Canada's dependence on the United States.
"They need us to survive. Without us there's no way they can survive," the U.S. president said.
He also said that he is considering separate tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke, alleging a lack of proper forest management.
"A lot of damage has been done. They're not managing their forests properly," the U.S. president said, following last week's threats regarding cross-border wildfire smoke.
Trump on Monday signed three proclamations to impose an additional 50 percent tariff on certain Canadian goods, saying Canada was discriminating against U.S. commerce.
The additional 50 percent ad valorem duties on certain dairy products, alcoholic beverages, motor vehicles and related goods will take effect on Aug. 19, according to documents posted on the White House website. Energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals will be exempt from the tariff.
In response, Carney on Monday described the new U.S. tariffs as "the latest in a series of unilateral U.S. trade actions in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement."
