US President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a stark warning to Canada over its growing economic relationship with China, threatening sweeping tariffs on trade between the two nations.
Trump said any move by Ottawa to ease China’s access to U.S. markets would be met with a 100 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump rejected the idea that Canada could serve as what he called a “delivery port” for Chinese exports destined for the U.S. market.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘delivery port’ for China to ship goods and products to the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump wrote. “China will eat Canada alive, devour it whole, including destroying its businesses, social fabric and overall way of life,” his post said.
It is the first time Trump has referred to Carney as “governor,” a term he used to call former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from time to time.
Trump added that any agreement between Canada and China that facilitates such trade would trigger “a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products entering the United States.”
The comments sparked a swift reaction from Canadian political leaders, who rejected Trump’s characterization of Canada’s relationship with China.
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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew responded in X, writing: “Canada will never be taken. Nor China. Nor Trump. We will always be the TRUE NORTH, strong and free.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew responds to US tariff threats against Canada on social media.
@WabKinew via X
Political analyst Lori Williams of Mount Royal University in Calgary said Trump seemed to feel pressure from the recent criticism and noted that his approach can be “predictably unpredictable.”
In an interview with Global News, he said: “beneath the surface, there is a lot of political and economic negotiations, and the rest of the world hopes that some kind of stability will remain amid the storms.”
The post came a week after Carney returned from a trip to Beijing, where he negotiated a new “strategic partnership” with China aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment, which the prime minister described as a “recalibration” of the relationship.
Federal Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc said a free trade agreement with China is not sought and described the recent talks as a resolution of specific tariff-related issues.
“A free trade agreement with China is not pursued. What was achieved was the resolution of several important tariff issues.” LeBlanc tweeted.
He added that Canada remains focused on its economic and security partnership with the United States, while strengthening its domestic economy and expanding global trade relations.
Federal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Canada is not seeking a free trade agreement with China, in response to US concerns about trade.
@DLeBlancNB via X
China has already begun moving quickly to import Canadian agricultural products following the agreement.
Among the first shipments are Canadian canola oil and beef products, which Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald confirmed will head to China.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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