U.S. President Donald Trump blasted Canada on Sunday after Prime Minister Mark Carney pulled the plug on trade negotiations with Washington, declaring Ottawa wants the advantages of being an American state without actually joining the United States.“Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Sunday in his first public reaction since the negotiations collapsed.Trump also accused Canada of imposing punishing tariffs on American agricultural producers.“They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs,” Trump wrote.“No more!!!”Trump's comments came after Carney suspended negotiations with the U.S. and recalled Canada's negotiating team to Ottawa following the failure to reach an agreement before a Friday night deadline.The breakdown triggered new 50% U.S. tariffs on roughly US$20 billion worth of Canadian products, which took effect Saturday. The duties cover about 5% of Canadian exports to the U.S. and include products ranging from food and furniture to cosmetics and hockey sticks.Canada has promised to respond with tariffs of equal value beginning Sept. 8. Carney said the Canadian measures will target American steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.The collapse came just days after it appeared the two countries were close to reaching an agreement.Trump announced Tuesday he was delaying the 50% tariffs for three days, saying Canada and the U.S., subject to finalizing documents, had a deal. Carney was more cautious at the time, saying “substantial progress” had been made but significant work remained.By Friday, however, negotiations had fallen apart..Carney said Washington introduced new demands at the last minute involving Canada's auto industry, its ability to negotiate trade agreements with other countries and protections for Canadian culture and the French language.“It's a power play,” Carney said Saturday. “It becomes a question of sovereignty.”Carney said the U.S. ultimately demanded too much while offering Canada too little in return.Washington disputes that account.U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Trump administration had offered Canada tariff relief on politically sensitive sectors including steel, automobiles and lumber, but accused Ottawa of walking away from commitments that had already been negotiated.The dispute represents another sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries and renews questions about the future of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.The Trump administration declined to extend the agreement in July, triggering an annual review process that can continue for up to a decade. Mexico and the U.S. have begun formal negotiations, while Ottawa and Washington have yet to begin their CUSMA talks.Trump has repeatedly complained Canada receives unfair advantages from its economic relationship with the U.S. and has on numerous occasions suggested Canada should become America's 51st state.Carney, meanwhile, has vowed Canada will not accept American restrictions on its ability to make independent economic decisions.The two countries exchange hundreds of billions of dollars in goods and services annually, making the escalating tariff fight potentially costly on both sides of the border. No new round of negotiations has been announced.
