Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, declared that the country’s relationship with the United States is “over.”
During a press conference in Ottawa, Carney condemned President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
“The old relationship we had with the United States—based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation—is over,” he said. “What exactly the United States does next is unclear. But what is clear is that we, as Canadians, have agency. We have power. We are masters in our own home.”
“We can control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away. We can deal with this crisis best by building our strength right here at home,” Carney stated, noting that Canada needs to “dramatically reduce our reliance on the United States.”
“We will need to pivot our trade relationships elsewhere, and we will need to do things previously thought impossible, at speeds we haven’t seen in generations,” he said.
Similar criticisms of the tariffs were made by Ottawa Premier Doug Ford, who said earlier this week that he wants to “inflict as much pain as possible to the American people without inflicting pain on the Canadian population.”
Trump announced on Wednesday the implementation of a 25% tariff on imported automobiles, effective April 3. The tariffs will apply to all foreign-made passenger vehicles and certain auto parts, including engines and transmissions. The administration projects this measure will generate approximately $100 billion annually in tax revenue and aims to encourage automakers to increase production within the United States.
