Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said US President Donald Trump will ultimately respect Canada's sovereignty and be ready for comprehensive trade talks because Americans are going to suffer from Trump's trade war.
Carney said on Friday talks with Trump will not happen "until we get the respect we deserve as a sovereign nation. By the way, this is not a high bar."
Trump kept up his near-daily attacks on Canada on Friday, repeating that the country should be the 51st state and that the US keeps Canada "afloat."
"When I say they should be a state, I mean that," the American president said.
The new prime minister said he wants a comprehensive discussion on trade and security with the Americans and not a one-off tariff discussion.
"In the end, Americans are going to lose from American trade action, and that's one of the reasons I am confident that there will be that discussion with the appropriate amount of respect and the breadth," Carney said.
"I am ready for it anytime they are ready."
Trump put 25 percent tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminium and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products as well as all of America's trading partners on April 2.
Carney became Prime Minister after winning a Liberal Party leadership race triggered by Justin Trudeau's decision to step down earlier this year.
He's expected to trigger the process for early parliamentary elections this Sunday, with a vote expected before April 28.
The governing Liberals appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war and upended Canadian politics.
TRT Global - The bank signalled the economic growth of Canada could slow in the first quarter of 2025 amid trade war caused by Trump's tariffs.
Rise in Canadian nationalism
The almost daily attacks on Canada's sovereignty have infuriated Canadians, who are cancelling trips south of the border and avoiding buying American goods when they can.
The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
Carney said the premiers of Canada's provinces had agreed to work on a plan to develop a national trade and energy corridor in an effort to diversify trade.
He said that could mean an oil pipeline from oil-rich Alberta to Eastern Canada. Quebec has previously opposed a pipeline, but Premier François Legault now says opinions are changing because of Trump's threats. Carney said Quebec uses about 350,000 barrels of oil daily, and 70 percent of that comes from the US.
"That is not a good idea for us at all. So, there is an opportunity to put a pipeline there, but we need social acceptance. We need a partnership with indigenous people as well," Carney said.
He said the federal government would speed up projects by recognising provincial assessments. Canadian leaders also talked about moving quickly to eliminate trade barriers between provinces and with the federal government.
TRT Global - The countries most affected by the tariffs are Canada, the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the US, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea.
Ad campaign in US against tariffs
His comments came as Canada was set to launch an ad campaign on Friday in 12 US states to counter American tariffs, according to Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
"We've already put $60 billion worth of counter-tariffs on American goods," Joly said in an interview with CNN.
Noting that the tariffs "are a tax on hardworking Americans," she argued that the "tariffs are going to cost more to Americans at the pump and also when they go do their groceries."
"We're launching an ad campaign today in 12 different states. Canadians are sending a message that there are no winners in a trade war. There will be job losses on both sides of the border," she said.
