The US and Canadian flags flutter next to the Blue Water Bridge border crossing in Point Edward, Ontario, on October 24, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP)
Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday delivered a nationally televised address to outline Canada's position following the breakdown of trade talks with the United States, announcing that Ottawa's "dollar-for-dollar" retaliatory tariffs against 20 billion US dollars' worth of American goods would take effect on Sept. 8.
The prime minister said the counter-tariffs will cover a wide range of sectors, including dairy, steel, appliances, pulp and paper, and electronics.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, Ontario, on August 22, 2026 after trade talks with the US collapsed. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP)
The United States and Canada failed to reach a trade deal on Friday, and the United States imposed a 50-percent tariff on 20 billion US dollars' worth of Canadian goods on Saturday which took effect just after midnight (0400 GMT).
Explaining why negotiations broke down at the last minute, Carney said that while both sides were close to a mutually beneficial agreement earlier this week, the U.S. side introduced last-minute changes that were "unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal."
