KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada and the United States were on the verge of finalizing a major trade agreement when President Donald Trump suddenly halted negotiations late last week.
Speaking to reporters at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia, Carney described the talks as “very detailed, very specific, and very comprehensive,” noting significant progress had been made on key issues including steel, aluminum, and energy trade before the discussions were abruptly cut short.
The prime minister confirmed he has not heard from Trump since Thursday, when the U.S. president announced he was ending discussions. Trump later told reporters that his decision was prompted by an anti-tariff television campaign run by the Ontario government in American markets.
On Saturday, the president escalated tensions further, declaring he would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on top of the existing levies — a move that risks reigniting a trade dispute reminiscent of past Canada-U.S. standoffs.
Trump, who is also attending the ASEAN summit in Asia this week, said he has no plans to meet with Carney during the event, adding that he is “very happy with the deal the U.S. has with Canada.”
While Carney refrained from direct criticism, his remarks suggest frustration over how close the two sides had come to resolving key trade barriers before politics intervened. Analysts say the collapse of talks could delay any new bilateral trade framework and deepen uncertainty for exporters already grappling with tariffs.