U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Canada walked away from “the best deal” to preserve its trade barriers against American goods after negotiations collapsed.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Greer said no further trade talks are scheduled as new 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports have taken effect.
“Our interest is in protecting American workers and protecting American supply chains. We’ve been offering to bring the Canadians along on that path, really to cut the tariffs on them on steel, on autos, even lumber, things that are sensitive for them,” Greer said Saturday.
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“And they’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that,” he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade negotiations with the United States late Friday, saying Washington made “unfair” last-minute changes to its proposed terms.
He then announced Canada would impose retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.
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In a statement released Friday, Carney said Canada will match U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses.”
“We have recognised from the beginning that America has changed, and that we will not return to our old relationship,” Carney said. “Our government understood, before many, that America is altering all its trade relationships. Putting tariffs on its closest allies and charging for access to its vast market.”
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“Canada has what the world wants. And we will not allow any nation to determine our future. We will set our own course to keep building Canada strong for all,” he added.
Greer said it’s “hard to say” whether trade talks will resume in the near future.
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“We don’t have new talks planned with the Canadians. We’re moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation,” Greer said.
“Remember, as President Trump has introduced a trade policy to reshore American production and protect American jobs, two countries have retaliated against the United States, the People’s Republic of China and Canada,” he added.
Fox News’ Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
