4 days ago
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he had a "productive" call on Friday (Mar 28) with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney amid increased tensions between the neighboring allies.
President Trump said the two leaders would meet after Canada's election, which is scheduled for next month.
"It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
That work "will end up being great for both the United States and Canada," he added.
Carney and his office have not yet released their take on the call, which comes one day after the new leader vowed to transform Canada's economy to be less dependent on the United States and ahead of Trump's tariff announcement expected on Apr 2.
The United States and it northern neighbor have long been close allies and trading partners.
But relations have deteriorated after Trump, a Republican who took office in January, upended the relationship with tariff threats and repeated comments about making it the 51st US state.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to a press conference to discuss a response to US President Donald Trump's new tariffs, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Mar 27, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)
SNAP ELECTION
Carney, who took office in mid-March, has called for a snap election Apr 28, saying he needed a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by US President Donald Trump, who "wants to break us so America can own us".
The comments showed the extent to which relations between the US and Canada, two long-time allies and major trading partners, have deteriorated since Trump imposed tariffs on Canada.
Although the next election was not due until Oct 20, Carney is hoping to capitalise on a remarkable recovery by his Liberal Party in the polls since January, when Trump began threatening Canada and former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.
Upon being sworn in as prime minister on Mar 14, Carney had said he could work with and respected Trump. However, he has changed his tone since then.
"We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty," Carney told reporters after the governor general, the personal representative of King Charles, Canada's head of state, approved his request for an election.
"Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada. President Trump claims that Canada isn't a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen."
Trump on Mar 6 delayed a broad 25 per cent tariff on some Canadian goods for 30 days.
He has since imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and threatened reciprocal tariffs on additional goods, including Canadian dairy and lumber, on Apr 2.
