'When Americans Are Ready': Canadian PM Says Ottawa Willing To Resume Trade Talks With US

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday said Ottawa was ready for further trade talks when the United States was ready, after US President Donald Trump announced that he was ending all trade negotiations

over a controversial advertisement, featuring his predecessor Ronald Reagan.

Speaking before a flight to Asia, Carney said that Canada had to focus on what it could control and realise what was beyond its control. “We can’t control the trade policy of the United States. We recognise that the policy has fundamentally changed from the policy in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. And it’s a situation where the United States has tariffs against every one of their trading partners to different degrees,” he told reporters.

“Our officials, my colleagues, have been working with their American colleagues on detailed, constructive negotiations, discussions, on specific transactions, specific sectors: steel, aluminium, and energy, and a lot of progress has been made. And we stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have those discussions, because it will be for the benefit of workers in the United States, workers in Canada, and families in both of our countries,” he added.

Carney also emphasised that both countries are friends, neighbours and allies. “President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together. God bless Canada and God bless the United States,” he said.

Why Did Trump End Trade Talks?

Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) abruptly announced that he was cancelling all trade talks with Canada after Ontario aired a political advertisement, which used Ronald Reagan saying tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” he said on Truth Social.

ALSO READ: ‘Canada Cheated US, Got Caught’: Trump Attacks Ottawa Again Over Ronald Reagan Ad

The minute-long ad, sponsored by Ontario’s provincial government, features excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 radio address on free and fair trade- remarks that warned against the dangers of protectionism and high tariffs. Reagan’s address was rearranged to form an anti-tariff narrative, which was perceived as a critique of Trump’s trade policies.

What escalated the matter was that the ad was used during a sporting event. Ontario ran the ad during a game in the American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, with an estimated 9 million people watching.

“The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump said in the post.

Trump’s decision to end trade negotiations with Canada on Thursday marks another breakdown in ties between the two neighbours. The latest twist in relations between the US and Canada came just over two weeks after Canadian PM Mark Carney visited Trump at the White House to seek a relaxation of stiff US tariffs.