US President Donald Trump and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney are set to speak on Friday, a White House official confirmed, amid soaring tensions over tariffs and Trump’s drive to annex his country’s northern neighbour.
“A call is scheduled this morning,” the White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Carney had said on Thursday that he would speak to Trump in the “next day or two.”
The call comes a day after Carney declared that the era of deep economic, security and military ties between Canada and the United States “is over.”
Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister two weeks ago, has called snap elections for April 28.
Typically, a new Canadian leader makes a phone call with the US president a priority immediately after taking office but Trump and Carney have not spoken.
Carney heavily criticised Trump’s decision this week to slap steep tariffs on cars.
Trump’s planned 25 percent levy on vehicle imports to the United States is to come into force next week and could be devastating for a Canadian auto industry that supports an estimated 500,000 jobs.
After Trump’s announcement, Carney paused his election campaign to return to Ottawa for an emergency cabinet meeting to work on tactics in the trade war with the United States.
He said Canada would retaliate against the auto tariffs, calling them “unjustified” and in breach of existing trade deals.
But Carney’s most eye-catching statement was his broader warning that Trump had permanently altered relations between the two North American neighbours.
Trump has repeatedly said since returning to power in January that close NATO ally Canada should become the 51st US state.
“The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over,” Carney said.
Carney warned that he would not participate in substantive trade negotiations with Washington until the president shows Canada “respect,” particularly by ending his repeated annexation threats.
AFP
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