Canadian PM tells US to 'get serious' as trade tensions escalate

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken out against President Donald Trump's administration, urging U.S. officials to "get serious" as trade tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.

With Canada set to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in just days, Carney criticized American officials for their disparaging remarks toward his country. "That doesn't befit their office," he said.

"When Americans stop making memes, stop taunting, stop trying to be tough and get serious in discussions, we can talk," Carney said regarding the trade issue.

Earlier, President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. federal government to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America—a move rejected by Canadians.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. trade envoy downplayed the potentially damaging effects of the trade war with Canada, claiming the issue is "more their emergency than it is our emergency."

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer argued that Canada is more vulnerable after talks fell apart, setting the stage for large-scale tariffs between the two neighbors. He told Politico: "There are no trade negotiations going on right now."

His comments came just over a week after U.S.-Canada trade negotiations collapsed. The United States has imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Canada, the second-largest U.S. trading partner, has announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods starting September 8. Americans may face significant pressure from Trump's tariffs and Canada's countermeasures, including on essential daily items.

Greer appeared to blame Canadian officials for the escalation of the trade war, telling Politico: "It's not clear that Canada even wants to get a deal." He added: "If Canada thinks it's appropriate to ban and block U.S. goods and services, then clearly we should look at doing the same."

According to Greer, unacceptable demands from Canada included reducing tariffs on heavy trucks, and those very demands caused the trade talks to collapse.

On the Canadian side, officials believe the collapse of negotiations stemmed from disagreements within the White House over who was running the trade talks. Prime Minister Mark Carney also noted that American negotiators viewed Canada's French language as an "annoyance," but stressed: "In Quebec, it's a right."

President Trump has argued in recent weeks that Canada "wants the benefits" of being a U.S. state without actually being one—a fixation of his—as he attacked Canadian leaders. "They also have massive tariffs on our farmers for years," Trump said. "Not acceptable anymore!!!"

Greer said the talks collapsed after a misunderstanding over what was and was not on the table. "Is it political? I don't know," he told Politico. "Is it economically logical? ... I'm not sure it makes a lot of economic sense, because the choice isn't between current tariffs and tariff-free trade. Like, that's it. Those choices don't exist."