Murray Wood: The 'dumbest trade war in history' is back on
The Wall Street Journal writes that the trade war between Canada and the U.S. just got dumber. Murray Wood says the U.S....
Canada will go back to the negotiating table on a trade deal once the United States changes its attitude, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday.
Carney held a news conference in Lévis, Que., where he announced an $11-billion contract to build six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, emphasizing they would be built with Canadian steel.
Read more:
- Canadian culture, French are fundamental rights – not trade irritants, Carney says
- Trump threatens to hike tariffs on Canadian autos, steel to 50% in January
- Scott Moe says tariffs spark concerns about Saskatchewan industries
- Ontario premier: Canada should be ready to cut electricity, critical minerals as trade woes worsen
The event comes three days after Carney suspended trade talks with the United States, after accusing the U.S. of trying to introduce last-minute measures which could have restricted Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries and protect its culture.
“When the Americans go to the negotiation table first, with the right attitude toward our industries and a true partnership, of course we’ll come to the negotiating table,” Carney told reporters.
“An attitude at the negotiation table that Canada is a subsidiary of the United States, that Canadian industry is going to be disadvantaged relative to American industry, that we are going to set up terms so that over time Canadian industry is going to face constant headwinds, that’s not something we’re going to accept.
“And that’s before you get to constraints on our ability to do what the rest of the world wants, which is to sign trade deals with Canada. And that’s before the fundamental issues on culture.”
President Donald Trump escalated his trade war with Canada earlier Monday, this time posting a threat on social media to hike tariffs on all vehicles, auto parts and steel from Canada to 50 per cent on Jan. 1. He made a later post threatening Canadian energy flowing through the United States.
Trump took to Truth Social to lash out at Canada three days after trade talks broke down in Washington and Canada accused the U.S. of negotiating in bad faith. As a result, new 50 per cent tariffs took effect Saturday on a range of Canadian goods, including honey, hockey sticks, flower bulbs and a long list of alcoholic beverages.
The new threat of tariffs for Jan. 1 would build on existing tariffs on the auto and steel sector, and are separate from the tariffs applied on Saturday.
In his post Monday, Trump accused Canada — without presenting evidence — as being “among the worst nations in the world to deal with.”
“Build in the U.S. and there are ZERO TARIFFS. Canada will be treated like a State no longer!” Trump posted.
“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years. Their ridiculously high tariffs on our Farmers and farm products has made life impossible for these great American Patriots.”
The United States Department of Agriculture says the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, known as CUSMA, provides for “tariff- and quota-free trade for almost all agricultural products traded between the United States and Canada, while offering broader market opportunities for U.S. exports to Canada of dairy, poultry and egg products.”
It notes those provisions were also in the North American Free Trade Agreement, which CUSMA replaced.
“They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!” Trump posted.
Canadian exports to the United States represented 72 per cent of all exports in 2025, down four percentage points from the year before.
In the first six months of 2026, that number fell further to 68 per cent, while non-U.S. exports rose as Canada moved to diversify its trade away from its largest trading partner south of the border.
Later Monday, Trump took to Truth Social again this time threatening Canadian energy, and returning to calling Carney “governor.”
“Remember, much of the Electricity, Oil, and Gas that Canada gets is transported through the U.S.A. Someone should get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!” Trump posted.
Canada has a number of oil and gas lines which flow from Western Canada into Minnesota and Wisconsin, to serve markets in southern Ontario and Quebec, including Enbridge’s Canadian main line.
Carney acknowledged during the last federal election campaign that having western Canadian oil flow through the United States to Ontario and Quebec presented a national security threat, but the government hasn’t publicly announced plans to remedy that.
Trump also attacked Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who earlier in the day told an Ontario radio talk show program that Trump could “kiss my ass” and said Ontario should leverage energy and critical minerals in trade negotiations.
Trump took a personal shot at Ford in his post, referencing his late brother former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
Asked by reporters to respond to the taunts, Ford brushed off the comments, saying he had “skin like an alligator” and called Trump “a loser.”
Vehicles made in Canada are currently tariffed at 25 per cent, minus U.S. content in them.
Trump has, so far, held off on imposing tariffs on auto parts.
“We’ve been over this. The ‘importer of record’ pays the tariffs,” said Flavio Volpe, president of the The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association of Canada, in a post on X.
“A threatened U.S. tariff on Canadian auto parts will be paid by U.S. auto assembly. Without those specific parts, auto assembly throughout the U.S. would halt. U.S. auto assembly will be on the phone to the (White House) today.”
Trump’s threat to hike tariffs to 50 per cent comes days after the U.S. imposed 50 per cent tariffs on a host of other Canadian goods, after trade talks between the two countries broke down.
Carney promised to retaliate on the latest tariffs the U.S. imposed on Saturday, with dollar-for-dollar tariffs by Sept. 8.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026.
