‘Era Of Close Ties With US Is Over’: Canada PM Mark Carney After Trump Introduces Steep Auto Tariffs

Hours after US President Donald Trump announced steep auto tariffs on Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said that the era of deep economic, security and military ties between the two countries “is over”.

Carney’s remarks came after 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 Canadian auto industry that supports an estimated 500,000 jobs.

After Trump’s announcement, Carney paused his campaign ahead of Canada’s April 28 election to return to Ottawa for a meeting of cabinet members working on tactics in the trade war with the United States.

Further calling Trump’s auto tariffs “unjustified,” Carney said they were in breach of existing trade deals between the countries. He also warned Canadians that Trump had permanently altered relations with the United States and that, regardless of any future trade deals, there would be “no turning back.”

“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. “Our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, is to protect, is to build,” Carney said, adding that Canada would retaliate against the auto tariffs.

“We will fight the US tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada,” he added. Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister on March 14.

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.