Trenton, Canada - Canadian Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney said on Wednesday that he was willing to meet U.S. officials to negotiate an end to the trade war, as long as “there is respect for Canadian sovereignty.”
Speaking to workers and media at Canadian steelmaker Dofasco, Carney signaled his readiness to restore what he called the world’s “greatest partnership.”
Carney said he understood US President Donald Trump's concerns about American workers and the fentanyl crisis, and said "we are ready to sit down and talk."
Carney's remarks came on a morning when Trump again escalated tensions in his trade war with Canada by imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.
Canada responded quickly with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc announcing that retaliatory tariffs worth C$29.8 billion (around US$20.78 billion or around Rp. 341.5 trillion) would come into effect at 12:01 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).