Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with his cabinet tomorrow, as President Donald Trump says his letters threatening upwards of 35 per cent tariffs to Carney, and other leaders are “the deals.”
The president sent Carney a letter late last week saying Canada will face a 35 per cent tariff rate after Aug. 1, while other letters Trump shared over the weekend only talk about a 30 per cent tariff with Mexico and the European Union.
Last week, Carney said the government has “steadfastly” defended Canadian workers and businesses at the negotiating table in a social media statement.
Fen Hampson, an international affairs professor at Carleton University, says that Carney should keep his head down and focus on talks with American officials instead of Trump.
Hampson says Trump can be unpredictable, but he and officials are likely to respond to domestic pressures brought on by high tariffs rates.
White House officials have said that the 35 per cent tariff rate would apply to areas that aren’t compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement, which are already tariffed at 25 per cent.
