PM Carney calls on U.S. officials to ‘start being serious’ about trade talks

As the fallout from a breakdown in trade talks continues, Prime Minister Mark Carney responded Tuesday to various insults directed toward Canada by U.S. government officials.

The ministers focused their taunts at Canada’s military.

This comes after the U.S. Treasury Secretary compared Canada’s navy to a now closed ride at the West Edmonton Mall.

Days after the Transport Secretary said Canada doesn’t have a military.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth, also made a controversial post on social media, with the pentagon standing behind him.

“It’s beneath their office,” says Carney in response to a social media post by U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth about a Canadian cadet youth program.

The post has an image from the cadet training centre in Vernon, B.C., with two young women in uniform.

Hegseth writes: “This is real,” beside a Canadian flag.

The post triggered backlash online and when asked about it on Tuesday, the Pentagon said the post speaks for itself.

It’s not the first shots fired at Canada’s military by U.S. cabinet ministers in recent days.

“We’re not at war with Canada, how are we gonna be at war with Canada? I mean, what are they gonna do? Take their two set submarines from the Edmonton mall and sick them on us?” says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“Canada gets the benefit of trading with the U.S. way more than the U.S. gets the benefit of trading with Canada. It’s a country that doesn’t have a military,” says Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Carney responded to the insults on Tuesday.

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“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions. Look, it’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy,” says Carney.

It’s the latest in a tit-for-tat as tensions increase after trade talks broke down last month.

The U.S. has hit Canada with 50 per cent tariffs, with Carney then announcing Canada would match those tariffs dollar for dollar beginning Sept. 8.

Carney re-iterated the U.S. demands that the government deemed unfair and uneconomic, including demands when it comes to the auto industry.

“The core Canadian industries would essentially be subsidiaries of the United States’ industries or would put in place terms where those industries would be gradually wound down in Canada. We’re not gonna accept those terms,” Carney says.

Still the prime minister suggested that hope for a deal remains.

“Yes, there is a mutually beneficial deal, there were elements of a mutually beneficial deal that we were moving towards. That’s why we were still at the table. But we never viewed that we had that deal and it diverged toward the end,” says Carney.

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was scheduled to meet with the U.S. Treasury Secretary at the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting in North Carolina Tuesday.

His office says his meetings with representatives of other countries would be used to reiterate Canada’s selling point as a reliable trade partner of choice.

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