Canada Holds Out on U.S. Trade Deal as Carney Demands Terms That Favor Canadians
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will not finalize a trade agreement with the United States unless the terms satisfy Canada’s red lines, even after President Donald Trump said progress had been made and Washington signaled flexibility.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Ottawa is not yet in a position to sign a trade agreement with the United States, emphasizing that any deal must be "when it suits Canadians." He said the government is pursuing "the right deal for Canadians" and will continue to seek arrangements that align with both countries’ interests, but he also said the current negotiations still fall short of Canada’s bottom lines.
"We think there's deals that are in the best interests of Canada, first and foremost, but also are in the interests of the United States. That's always been the case. We've been consistent," Carney said.
"If those deals present themselves, we will pursue them. But we're not at that position right now," he added.
President Donald Trump recently said there had been progress, telling a rally in Michigan that the United States is ready to give Canada whatever is needed to settle the matter. Yet Canadian sources indicated that major elements of the talks remain unresolved and that an agreement is still not imminent.
Negotiations collapsed in August, leading Washington to impose steep tariffs on Canadian products and prompting Ottawa to respond with equivalent levies. Carney reiterated that Canada will only sign an agreement that respects its clear red lines, which were rejected in the August proposals, and that a deal becomes more likely only if the United States moves toward accepting those conditions.