|
The trade stalemate between Washington and Ottawa has seen US President Donald Trump bring back his jibe of referring to Canada as an American state following the suspension of trade talks, which PM Carney termed "uneconomic, unfair, and undermining the net benefits for Canada".
Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social, making them his first remarks since Carney asked his negotiating team to return as the talks hit a dead end between Canada and the United States. Trump also argued that Canada has charged massive tariffs on American farmers. He said, "Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!! President DJT." Earlier, Canadian PM Mark Carney hit out at the US following suspension of trade talks and said US demands revealed the limits of their commitment to a true economic partnership and he had directed the country's negotiators to return to Ottawa. The Canadian Prime Minister also said his country will match the United States' new tariffs dollar-for-dollar to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses, after trade negotiations between the two countries collapsed. Carney said on Saturday that the US asked too much and offered too little. He said Ottawa felt that the two countries were moving towards a mutually beneficial agreement but in recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were "uneconomic, unfair, and undermined the net benefits for Canada". He said it raised questions about the reliability of any deal. "They asked too much, and they offered too little," he said. Carney said the US stance revealed the limits of their commitment to a true economic partnership. "Last evening, I suspended trade negotiations with the United States and directed our negotiators to return to Ottawa," he added. The development came after trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down late Friday night, with the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on nearly USD 28 billion worth of Canadian imports from 12:01 am ET. The levies affect nearly 5.5 per cent of Canada's total exports shipped across the southern border, with targeted items ranging from hockey sticks to cement. Carney said Ottawa would not accept any restrictions on its ability to independently execute trade deals around the globe and emphasised Ottawa's position as a sovereign global trade partner. (ANI)
|
