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See the full story · 5 sourcesCarney’s plea comes after Pete Hegseth mocked Canada's military in a post that was immediately met with backlash
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged the Trump administration Tuesday to "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough" after a fresh round of verbal attacks by Washington.
Carney said trade talks could restart if President Donald Trump and his team get serious but he warned U.S. terms could leave Canadian industries "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."
"When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions," Carney said. "It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy."
The Trump administration’s verbal attacks on Canada have escalated since trade negotiations collapsed Aug. 21.
Trump has since moved to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" and taunted Canada online, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Ottawa could not go "tit for tat" against an economy 13 times larger.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth mocked Canada's military online, posting an image Monday of two female cadets in British Columbia captioned "this is real." Carney called it "beneath their office."
The Pentagon said Tuesday, "The X post speaks for itself."
Carney said U.S. demands would leave Canadian firms as subsidiaries or see them "gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out."
"We’re not going to — of course, we’re not going to accept those terms," Carney said.
The prime minister said Washington sought an "uncompetitive" deal in key areas like autos while targeting French-language protections, calling any such term a dealbreaker. Washington also tried limiting Canada's future trade agreements.
"Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals," Carney said. He noted "mutually beneficial" elements existed before talks broke down.
Carney was buoyed by Monday's Liberal sweep of three special elections , including a victory in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Quebec, where Conservatives fell to third.
The wins give Liberals 173 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons, strengthening Carney against Trump over trade and sovereignty.
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said: "Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the U.S. absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears."
Negotiations collapsed without a deal, prompting Trump to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion in U.S. goods start Sept. 8, ranging from 15% to 50%.
Trump has repeatedly discussed making Canada the 51st state.
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