Arabic version: كارني يرد على لوتنيك بشأن محادثات التجارة بين كندا والولايات المتحدة

According to Cnbc, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s assertion that Canada derailed a nearly completed trade agreement with the United States for political reasons. Speaking at a news conference in Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, Carney said, “We’re ready to sit down and strike that deal when the Americans are ready.”

Carney said he did not think “appointed, unelected Cabinet members in the United States are experts on Canadian politics.” He said Canada would act in its own interests and accused the United States of changing its stated red lines after negotiations were scrapped. Carney nevertheless said a deal that benefits both countries remains possible.

Lutnick had said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” a day earlier that Canada “blew up” the deal “for political reasons only.” He also said Canada had treated President Donald Trump disrespectfully and would change its position after mid-October, when its elections would be over. Canada has upcoming special elections, or by-elections, in several parliamentary districts.

Negotiators left the talks last month without an agreement before Trump’s Aug. 22 deadline for new 50% tariffs on some $20 billion of Canadian imports. Canada responded with “dollar for dollar” tariffs on U.S. goods, scheduled to take effect next week. Both countries have accused the other of making unreasonable last-minute demands, including over medium- and heavy-duty trucks, Canadian language requirements and cultural issues.

Trump later struck a more confrontational tone in a Truth Social post, saying it was good politics for Carney to make him “the enemy” until Canada’s economy collapsed. Carney said the U.S. position on trucks had changed, adding that issues the United States had raised until the final hours were no longer being presented in the same way.