Mark Carney says U.S. said “red lines, we’re not going to change” in failed Canada-U.S. trade talks

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded on Sept. 3 to U.S. accusations about the failed Canada-U.S. trade talks by saying Washington had backed away from earlier positions it had called fixed, after a breakdown that also involved disputes over lumber issues. The two governments have given different versions of why talks collapsed on Aug. 21; Washington then imposed 50 percent tariffs on $27.6 billion of Canadian products, and Ottawa said it would reply with matching tariffs on the same amount of U.S. imports from Sept. 8. Carney rejected Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s claim that Canada introduced last-minute terms or walked away for political reasons, and said U.S. negotiators had demanded up to the very end that Canada accept certain conditions. U.S. officials disputed Carney’s account, but he said a deal benefiting both countries remains possible.