Canadian Prime Minister Mark drew laughs at a press conference as he politely roasted “unelected” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, joked about American trucks, and said he won’t sit around waiting to hear from Donald Trump.
Trump and Lutnick blew up trade negotiations with Canada, and Carney walked away from the table, almost two weeks ago.
Since then, Trump and Lutnick have engaged in a series of stunts and tantrums that include, as Carney put it, having some fun with “hydronyms.”
Canadian leaders have been polite (for the most part) but firm in their defiance, and Carney continued that trend at a press conference in Thunder Bay, Ontario on Thursday.
The US was a hot topic at the presser, which was convened for an infrastructure announcement.
One reporter asked about the personal toll that dealing with Trump and his team has taken.
Carney drew laughter by thanking him for caring, then noted that Canadiams are standing together with him.
REPORTER: You’re in an entirely different position than in the past in your corporate career, and facing a lot of negativity and hostility that emanates mainly from the U.S. How are you personally dealing with it and your team? How do you cope with that? Well, I thank you
PM MARK CARNEY: Thank you for caring, Scott (LAUGHTER) the good people of Thunder Bay.
…We’re working long hours and are well aware of the stakes of what’s going on. But we also have the support of Canadians. We also have the positive attitude of Canadians. It is a country that takes care of each other.
And so we’re looking for the ways to reinforce that. And that’s what we’re doing. And that, you know, in the end, actually, it’s... I’m doing just fine.
Carney was then asked about comments from Lutnick and other Trump allies accusing him of acting in the interest of his own domestic political interests. The PM fired back with maturity and humor.
REPORTER: U.S. Politicians, including Howard Lutnick, say you walked away from their deal because of domestic politics, and they also say any future deal won’t be as good as the one you said no to.
What do you say to him and other Republicans?
PM MARK CARNEY: Well, I don’t communicate with, Canadians, the U.S. Administration, I communicate with the President. So it’s not a comment directed to those individuals, per se.
…We were elected, uh- 16 months ago, 17 months ago to build Canada strong and build Canada strong for all. And that’s what we’ve been focused on.
The core of it is announcements such as today and everything that it represents. It’s building at home, it’s that positive attitude building out. It is one Canadian economy, it is diversifying an economy with more than 20 partners around the world, reliable partners who want to do more with Canada. That’s the core of what we’re doing.
I don’t think, with all respect, appointed, unelected cabinet members in the United States are experts on Canadian politics. (LAUGHTER)
…I’ll say one other thing, which is that there are a few issues that the United States was arguing right up to the last hour. Red lines, we’re not going to change, boom, it’s in there, you know, our way or the highway, take it or leave it, you know, attitude.
Now, they’re not. So all of a sudden, they don’t care about Canadian language or culture and those elements. Well, if they didn’t care, they shouldn’t have kept them in the deal up in the last.
But it’s good. We welcome that we care about those issues. Those are rights. They’re fundamental to who we are. So that’s not there.
You know, an F-350 pickup, which is going to be built at the Ford factory in Oakville, 350s, 450s, 550s, where I grew up in Alberta, those are sub-compacts. (LAUGHTER) And same here, right?
And they’re just discovering that and they’re like, of course we weren’t gonna keep them out. Well, they were gonna keep the out, right, core plan and other elements. So some of what they’re saying now is different than what they were drawing the line on. And we are always gonna stand up for what’s in the best interest of Canada, Canadian workers, Canadian families, not look for an easy win, not for an announcement, but something that’s durable. Deal is possible that’s in both of our benefits.
And I’ll say one final thing, which is the deal that’s possible that is in the interest of Canadian workers, families, and businesses is also the deal that is also in the interests of American families, American businesses, American consumers, and we’re ready to sit down and strike that deal when the Americans are ready.
Finally, Carney was asked what he’s doing to resolve things with Trump. He responded with a robust defense of Canadian culture and the value of the Canadian market to the U.S., and added that he’s not going to sit around staring at the phone or the president’s social media feed.
REPORTER: Scott Bessent says the trade dispute will need to be resolved at the leaders level.
What are you doing to resolve this with U. S. President Donald Trump? And how confident are you that a breakthrough could occur before counter tariffs take effect on Labor Day?
PM MARK CARNEY: So, in terms of Canada’s position, our position is clear, we need to have, retain the right to protect and promote the French language, Canadian culture, Quebec culture, fundamental.
We need to maintain our ability, our sovereignty, to conclude trade deals with other countries.
… if you take the example of Canadian content, one of the things that helps with the competitiveness viability of the U.S. Auto sector is the Canadian auto parts sector. The Canadian auto sector, the integration. The fact that Canada buys more cars than Europe, Japan, Korea combined. The EU as well, combined. We’re by far and away the US’s biggest customer for automobiles. That’s an integrated market. So recognizing that in the terms is necessary.
When will that happen? We’ll see at the appropriate time. The conversation will happen.
But the most important thing we can do is not to spend all our time waiting by the phone, waiting for a call. Looking at, you know, refreshing on social media to see what’s coming across.
No, it’s building. It’s building here. It’s build bold. It’s moving forward. It’s making those connections, those trade connections, interconnections. And it is talking to and concluding agreements with all of those countries around the world who want to deal with Canada. And that is what this government is doing.
Canada is just days away from imposing tariffs of up to 50 percent on American goods unless a deal is reached.
Canadians should be proud of their PM! As Americans should be embarrassed by our big pink sack of shit and his awful sycophants
You mean Nutlick, don’t you?