Era of close ties with US is over: Canada PM Carney

OTTAWA

The era of deep economic, security and military ties between Canada and the United States "is over," Prime Minister Mark Carney said, after Donald Trump announced steep auto tariffs.

Trump's levy on vehicle imports could be devastating for a Canadian auto industry that supports an estimated 500,000 jobs.

After Trump's announcement, Carney paused his campaign ahead of Canada's April 28 election to return to Ottawa for a meeting of cabinet members working on tactics in the trade war with the United States.

He called Trump's auto tariffs "unjustified," and said they were in breach of existing trade deals between the countries.

He also warned Canadians that Trump had permanently altered relations with the United States and that, regardless of any future trade deals, there would be "no turning back."

"The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over," Carney said.

He said Canada would retaliate against the auto tariffs.

"Our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, is to protect, is to build," Carney said.

"We will fight the US tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada," he added.

Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister on March 14.

Typically, a new Canadian leader makes a phone call with the US president a priority immediately after taking office but Trump and Carney have not spoken.

He said on March 27 that the White House had reached out to schedule a call and that he expected to speak to Trump in the "next day or two."