\t\tRead: 2 min<\/p>\n
There is a \u201cmisimpression\u201d about the extent of Canada\u2019s economic reliance on the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday, again pushing back on suggestions Ottawa must capitulate to Washington\u2019s trade demands.<\/p>\n
Canada and the United States are heading towards fractious negotiations on the future of a North American free trade agreement that President Donald Trump signed and praised in his first term, but now says is \u201cirrelevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Trump administration\u2019s key trade figures \u2014 Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer \u2014 have been highly critical of Canada\u2019s posture ahead of talks set to accelerate over the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Appearing in Congress on Wednesday, Lutnick defended Washington\u2019s tough rhetoric and said \u201cCanada\u2019s economy leans on the incredible 30 trillion dollar economy of America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney said on Thursday that \u201cthere is a misimpression, by some, of the degree to which we are reliant on the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it is our biggest trading partner by far. We are also their second-biggest trading partner. There is a symbiosis between the two,\u201d the prime minister said.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s \u201cdestiny is first and foremost going to be determined by what we do here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. economy does not need anything Canada produces and said the World Economic Forum in January that \u201cCanada lives because of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greer\u2019s comments about Canada have been more muted.<\/p>\n
He said this month that \u201cpillars\u201d of the Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA) are functioning reasonably well and would likely be preserved, while stressing substantial parts of the deal need to be changed.<\/p>\n
Both Greer and Lutnick on Wednesday voiced anger over an Ontario provincial government decision to ban the sale of U.S. liquor and wine in retaliation for Trump\u2019s steel and auto tariffs, which are hurting the economy of Canada\u2019s largest province.<\/p>\n
Lutnick said Congress the ban was \u201cinsulting and disrespectful to America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greer said to U.S. lawmakers \u201cthere may have to be an enforcement action to deal with this issue,\u201d an apparent reference to dispute mechanisms within the CUSMA.<\/p>\n
Asked about Ontario\u2019s U.S. alcohol ban on Thursday, Carney said it was a provincial decision but noted U.S. breaches of the CUSMA are undeniable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tariffs on steel, the tariffs on aluminum, the tariffs on automobiles \u2026 those are violations of our trade deal,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n
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