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Canada would not make any more trade concessions to get to the table with the U.S. on trade talks, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.
While heading into a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney was asked by reporters: “would Canada make any more concessions to get to the table with the U.S.?”
Carney said, “No.”
This came as CBC News reported that the Trump administration is demanding what amounts to an “entry fee” – or a series of concessions – from Canada to engage in trade talks toward a revised CUSMA.
“We understand what some of the – what the Americans would call trade irritants or trade issues – are. We have some on our side as well. We’re well prepared around those issues,” Carney said when asked if the U.S. had asked for any concessions before the talks even began.
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Both sides “will sit down and work through those issues,” Carney said.
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“We’ve made some counter proposals, which they’re aware (of). And the time will come to really roll up our sleeves,” he added.
The U.S. cannot dictate terms in a negotiation, Carney said.
“It’s not the case that the United States dictates the terms. We have a negotiation. We can come to a mutually successful outcome. It will take some time,” he said.
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Canada’s chief trade negotiator says they’re pro-actively engaged with U.S., Mexico ahead of USMCA review
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The Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA), which governs the terms of free trade between those three countries, is up for a review before July 1 this year.
On Tuesday, Carney announced the formation of an advisory council on Canada-U.S. economic relations, which includes top industry voices from tariff-hit sectors as well as multiple prominent Conservative MPs.
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United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said it’s unlikely the U.S. will resolve all its trade issues with Canada and Mexico before the July 1 deadline to renegotiate the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Greer also told Fox Business in mid-March that Canada was behind Mexico on trade discussions.
The council is set to hold their first meeting on April 27, 2026.
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