Washington/Toronto (EFE).- Canada stood firmly on Sunday with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his decision to stand up to the United States. This show of political, labor, and social unity comes in the face of a potentially prolonged trade war with its southern neighbor following the collapse of negotiations with Washington.
From major national media outlets to provincial premiers and labor organizations, there has been a broad support for Carney’s refusal to accept a deal that, as he explained on Saturday, threatened Canadian sovereignty, would have limited the country’s ability to negotiate treaties with other nations, and harmed strategic sectors like automotive manufacturing.
Even Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, usually a sharp critic of Carney, stated that Canada could not accept «a bad deal» and called for national unity in the face of US tariffs.
The main exception has been Alberta’s Premier, the populist conservative Danielle Smith, who supported walking away from the negotiations but questioned the Canadian tariff response.
Labor groups have also aligned with the federal government. Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union with a strong presence in the auto industry, stated that negotiators were right by leaving the table and called for strategic retaliation against Washington.
This support extends to several of the country’s leading political and economic commentators, who argue that accepting Washington’s latest demands would have meant sacrificing Canadian sovereignty without guaranteeing trade stability.
An uncertain trade future
Canada is now bracing for a protracted confrontation. New US tariffs of 50%, in effect since midnight Saturday, impact approximately 28 billion Canadian dollars in exports (about 20 billion US dollars), primarily in manufacturing.
Ottawa has announced «dollar-for-dollar» retaliatory measures effective September 8.
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of the country’s largest financial institutions, estimates that the new tariffs could shave about four-tenths of a percentage point off Canada’s GDP, with sectors like electronics, textiles, furniture, lumber, and paper among the most exposed.
The business sector, while backing the decision to avoid a bad deal, warns that uncertainty could stifle investment and persist as long as Trump remains in the White House.
Trump reiterates accusations against Canada
The US president remained silent throughout on Saturday, but early Sunday morning, he lashed out again at what he has termed a continued “discrimination» and «unequal treatment» of US commerce by Ottawa.
«Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!» the Republican leader posted on his Truth Social network.
A day earlier, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News that there are no new talks planned with Canada, adding that these new tariffs are countermeasures against what he called «a year of retaliation» for Trump’s trade policies thus far in his second term.
Democratic governors, such as California’s Gavin Newsom and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger, criticized the new tariffs against a key trading partner and historic ally like Canada, while also citing the negative impact of a trade war on US producers.
Former Vice President Mike Pence (2017-2021) warned on CNN on Sunday that the trade dispute between the two countries poses new risks for the world’s leading economy, at a time when US consumers are already facing high costs. EFE
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