“If a country retaliates against us, we’re obviously not going to tolerate that,” Greer told reporters Friday. “We’ll take action. My sense is the Canadians want to have a more conciliatory approach, but we’ll see.”<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump<\/a> has threatened 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including cement and hockey sticks<\/a>. On Aug. 5, he called Canada “nasty” in a Las Vegas speech.\n<\/p>\n “Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” The Times reported Trump said. “I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership.”<\/p>\n Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump spoke on the phone Monday, a Carney spokeswoman said. She didn’t give any details.<\/p>\n In July, the Trump administration said it would create new tariffs<\/a> of 50% on more than 500 Canadian goods. That amount is up to $20 billion worth of trade annually, which is about 2% of the entire trade between the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n “President Trump is taking action to hold Canada accountable for its continued discrimination against and unreasonable and unequal treatment of U.S. commerce that has burdened and disadvantaged hard-working Americans,” the White House said in a statement<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n Canadian negotiators also want to ease the tariffs already imposed on its industries. There are tariffs of up to 50% on steel, aluminum and autos. Some tariffs also affect Canadian softwood lumber.<\/p>\n Canadian lumber manufacturing CEO John Brink told CTV that tariffs have devastated the lumber industry. He said, “most of the lumber industry in Canada is paying up to 45.16% in tariffs and duties combined. So the effect has been devastating.”<\/p>\n Brink said about half of British Columbia’s lumber manufacturing capacity has shut down.\n<\/p>\n “There used to be 800 secondary manufacturers in British Columbia alone. We are now down to about 50. Not all due to tariffs and duties, but due to a combination of (factors),” Brink added.<\/p>\n “I think the big question for the United States is: Are they even interested in securing an agreement, a deal, some kind of operational d\u00e9tente, or is Trump’s real objective just to flex? Is it just to demonstrate he’s in control? In which case, we’re chasing a phantom deal,” CTV News political commentator Scott Reid said.<\/p>\n He added that the deadline will be “the most important, most significant and most treacherous of Mark Carney’s political career.”<\/p>\n Greer has said he expects Canada to make concessions if a deal goes through. But not everyone in the north wants that.<\/p>\n “Canadians elected Mark Carney to both stand up to Trump while also trying to negotiate a deal, or negotiate down the tariffs, and I don’t think those are mutually exclusive, but it is a narrow path for sure,” said Brian Clow, a former senior official in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/a>‘s government, The Times reported.<\/p>\n If no deal is made, expect the trade war to escalate, Clow said.\n<\/p>\n “If the U.S. decides to proceed with imposing these new tariffs tomorrow, Canada, although this current government has eased back on retaliation, will have to respond in some way,” he said.<\/p>\n Former senior White House trade adviser Kelly Ann Shaw told CTV that negotiations look “promising” for Canada.<\/p>\n “I’ve been involved in a number of international trade negotiations and other negotiations throughout my career, and the hardest issues always get resolved at the very last moment,” Shaw told CTV Tuesday.<\/p>\n “So I don’t expect any sort of announcement until later today, possibly as late as midnight,” Shaw said. “But the fact the two parties are still at the table, I take as a good sign.”<\/p>\n \t\t\t![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/This-week-in-Washington_1_1.jpg\")
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