 "Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Reuters")
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is urging citizens and businesses to rally around domestic products as tensions with the United States flare over potential trade links with China. His message comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian imports if Ottawa pursues deeper economic engagement with Beijing.
In a video message shared on X, Carney focused on what he sees as Canada’s path forward. “With our economy under threat from abroad, Canadians have made a choice: to focus on what we can control,” he said, urging people to support national businesses and products.
He repeated that theme in a second key line of his address: “We can’t control what other nations do. We can be our own best customer. We’ll buy Canadian. We’ll build Canadian. Together we will build stronger.”
Trump’s sharp warning
The backdrop to Carney’s message is a stark warning from Trump , who took to his social platform to set out potential consequences if Canada moves ahead with a trade deal involving China.
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View AllIn his post, the US president wrote that if Canada “makes a deal with China , it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA.” and claimed that “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life.”
Trump also criticised Carney about the threat, suggesting Canada might become a transit point for Chinese goods that undercut US markets, writing that “if Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods … he is sorely mistaken.”
A trade squeeze and domestic focus
Carney’s call to “Buy Canadian” is aimed at boosting local resilience amid the uncertainty. He stressed Canada’s economy must not depend solely on external factors, especially in the face of trade pressures from larger powers.
The tariff dispute comes as Carney’s government also seeks to diversify trade ties, including recent engagement with China, a move that triggered Trump’s ire. Canadian officials have said they are not pursuing a full free trade deal with China but are focused on resolving tariff issues and strengthening economic partnerships.