US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (September 2) talked down future trade talks with Canada, downplaying the country's importance to the United States.
Canada walked away from negotiations on an agreement to avoid additional U.S. tariffs on August 21, saying the American side had made unacceptable last-minute demands.
Since then, Trump has declared that Lake Ontario should be renamed Lake America, described Canada's leaders as "the worst" he has to deal with, and repeated assertions that Canada is ripping off the U.S.
U.S. officials have challenged part of the Canadian narrative as to why the talks collapsed, saying there was a good deal to be had on the table. Carney said Ottawa had never felt the proposed terms would be adequate, especially when it came to the highly integrated auto sector.
