'Stop trying to be tough': Carney hits back at Trump as US-Canada trade dispute escalates

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday (1 September) urged the Trump administration to "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough" as he responded to a fresh round of attacks from Washington amid an escalating trade dispute.

Carney said trade negotiations between the United States and Canada could resume if Washington became serious about reaching an agreement. At the same time, he accused the US of seeking terms that could result in Canadian industries being "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."

"When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions," Carney said. "It's not constructive, but that's their democracy."

His remarks came amid renewed criticism from Washington after trade talks between the two countries broke down on 21 August.

US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" and mocked Canada on social media. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Canada could not engage in a "tit for tat" trade dispute with an economy 13 times larger.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth meanwhile mocked the Canadian military in an online post  Monday (31 August), sharing an image of two female cadets at a British Columbia training centre with the words "this is real" and a Canadian flag.

Carney described the post as "beneath their office". The Pentagon stood by the post on Tuesday, saying, "The X post speaks for itself."

Bessent, speaking to Fox News, responded to Carney's criticism by saying the Canadian prime minister had received a "verbal beatdown" from him and Hegseth.

Asked about Carney's call for the Trump administration to stop "throwing shade" and return to negotiations, Bessent said, "Well, he was the one who said we were at war."

Carney said the US negotiating position would have effectively turned Canadian industries into subsidiaries of American companies or imposed conditions under which they would be "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."

"We're not going to — of course, we're not going to accept those terms," Carney said.

The prime minister said Washington was seeking an "uncompetitive" agreement for key sectors, including the automobile industry, while also demanding changes involving French-language and cultural protections.

He said any one of those issues would have been sufficient to prevent an agreement.

Carney also said Washington wanted restrictions on Canada's ability to negotiate future trade agreements with other countries.

"Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals," he said.

However, Carney acknowledged that the negotiations had included some "mutually beneficial" elements before they collapsed.

The prime minister also received a political boost Monday when the Liberal Party won all three special elections, including a decisive victory in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in Quebec, where the Conservatives finished third.

The victories increased the Liberals' strength to 173 seats in the 343-member House of Commons and strengthened Carney's position as he faces Trump over trade and Canadian sovereignty.

Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Trump's repeated annexation threats have particular significance in Quebec.

"Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the US absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears," he said.

The latest trade talks collapsed after the two countries failed to reach an agreement, prompting Trump to impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Canada's retaliatory tariffs on nearly $20 billion of US goods are scheduled to take effect 8 September, with duties ranging from 15% to 50%.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state.