OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is ready to return to the negotiating table with the United States and welcomed President Donald Trump's suggestion that the two countries could reach a trade deal soon.Carney made the comments Monday in an interview with Bloomberg at the first Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, where roughly 300 executives and investors representing more than $120 trillion in assets are meeting..“There is a mutually advantageous agreement that's possible between Canada and the United States, one that respects our sovereignty, respects obviously the US's sovereignty, respects our cultural institutions,” Carney said.“We're ready to sit down and negotiate that and move it forward. So I welcome the president's comments.”Asked whether either side needed to make the first move following the breakdown in negotiations, Carney said Ottawa was prepared to talk.“There's not a pride thing from our perspective,” he said. “We're practical people that know what our bottom lines are, what our red lines are for sovereignty, for culture, not being restricted on our ability to sign other trade deals.”Carney said Canada intends to double the number of consumers it can reach through free-trade agreements from 1.5 billion to three billion and would not abandon that push to secure a deal with Washington.“We are not going to slow down on that,” he said..Carney added that American officials may now understand Canada's limits better following months of tensions between the two countries.“I think our American colleagues maybe perhaps understand those red lines a little more clearly now, given what's happened,” he said.“We're ready to sit down. There's no pride in this. We'll do what's right for the Canadian people.”The comments come days after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre travelled to New York to advocate for a return to tariff-free trade between the two countries.As previously reported by the Western Standard, Poilievre told CNBC last week that “politics ends at the border” and declined to criticize Carney while on American soil.“Let's be honest, the administration hit us with tariffs first and everything escalated thereafter,” Poilievre said.Carney was also asked Monday about insults and mockery directed at Canada by members of the Trump administration following the collapse of negotiations.He said he did not expect the rhetoric to hurt Canada's efforts to attract international investment.“Short answer, no,” Carney said. “These are all professionals.”“Canada and the US have a very long relationship. We sometimes go through periods where there are tensions in that relationship,” he added.Carney said he believes an agreement will eventually be reached if both governments maintain a professional approach.The prime minister also expanded on his plans to deepen Canada's relationship with Europe, one day after The Wall Street Journal reported he was pursuing an “associate member” relationship with the European Union.Carney reiterated Monday that Canada is not seeking EU membership but said the government is pursuing what he has called a “unique alliance.”He pointed to Canada's participation in the EU's €150-billion SAFE defence procurement program, where he said Canada is effectively “treated as European” for procurement purposes.Carney said closer ties could extend into artificial intelligence, critical minerals, energy, research and even greater movement of workers between Canada and Europe.“You could see enhanced labour mobility, elements of enhanced labour mobility,” Carney said.“Certainly enhanced educational opportunities and enhanced research cooperation. There is a huge host of areas where we can work together.”Carney is scheduled to travel to Strasbourg, France this week as he begins discussions with European leaders.
