OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has had no contact with the White House since U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled trade talks last week.
And despite Doug Ford’s contentious Ronald Reagan ad campaign seemingly torpedoing what little progress Canada has made with the United States, Carney declined to say if he was upset with Ontario’s premier.
Carney made that revelation during a press conference early Monday from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he’s representing Canada at the 47thAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. Carney is hoping to broaden Asian trade relationships while Canada struggles with tariff pressure back home.
“I have not,” Carney said in response to the question about Trump from a Canadian reporter.
Carney pitched Canada as a “reliable” trading partner who “honours their commitments” in his opening address to the summit — a clear jab to Trump as the U.S. president announced new punitive tariffs against Canada in retaliation for Ford’s ad campaign that prompted Trump to quit trade talks with Ottawa.
Won’t meet ‘for a long time,’ Trump vows
That $75-million ad campaign featured clips of Reagan speaking against tariffs and trade wars, prompting accusations of misrepresentation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and claims of outright fakery by Trump.
The ad aired on U.S. television networks last week and during the first two games of the World Series, but almost certainly far exceeded it’s paid-for ad reach thanks to outrage from the United States.
Carney ducked questions about Trump’s comments, claiming he didn’t hear them, and again when asked how he felt about Ford seemingly going rogue while Ottawa negotiates with an increasingly erratic White House.
“We stand ready to sit down with the United States — myself with the president and my colleagues with their colleagues — when the U.S. is ready to sit down,” Carney said.
“We had made considerable progress on a supplement to the trading relationship that we had, considerable progress in the areas of steel, aluminum and energy …. we’re ready to sit down when they are ready to do that.”
If the U.S. aren’t ready to restart talks, Carney said, Canada will concern itself with rebuilding its own economy and seeking trade relationships elsewhere.
Carney said Canada had contingency plans if the U.S. won’t return to trade talks, but declined to provide details.
Carney pitched successes won during the ASEAN summit, including trade agreements with Indonesia and acceleration of trade talks with the Philippines.
Relationship with China ‘evolving,’ Carney says
While the relationship between the Canada and the United States takes a break, concern is being raised over Canada’s intentions to mend fences with China.
As for Canada removing its 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs as a means of both retaliation against the U.S. and to end punishing Canadian canola import levies, Carney kept tight lipped, but said relaxing existing barriers erected by former PM Justin Trudeau could be possible.
“It’s the start of a broader discussion,” Carney said of Canada’s second-largest trading partner.
“We’re in the process of a resetting of expectations of where that relationship could go … and that’s part of the discussion that has begun.”
Carney met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last month, the first high-level meeting of officials from both nations in several years.
Former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was summarily detained by Beijing for more than 1,000 days, warned last week of Carney’s planned meeting later this week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he told CBC News last week is embarking on a “charm offensive” while the United States alienates its former trading partners.
China, Kovrig said, isn’t interested in changing its behaviour.
“It just wants to change the mood music. That’s an improvement from Canada’s perspective,” he said.
“But Canadians need to understand that it is just diplomatic wrapping paper.”
