Trump says time to teach Canada a trade lesson after talks collapse
Trump says it's time to teach Canada a lesson after trade talks broke down, with both sides imposing matching tariffs.
US President Donald Trump has said it is "time to teach Canada you can't do this anymore," escalating his rhetoric just days after trade negotiations between the two neighbours collapsed.
In an interview with Glenn Beck on Wednesday, Trump defended his approach, saying he had previously secured a "pretty good deal" but that Canada had not lived up to expectations. He argued that the US does not depend on Canadian goods, noting that any inconvenience from losing access could be managed by sourcing products elsewhere.
The comments come after Trump imposed new 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports on Saturday, following the breakdown of talks. Canada responded on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on a similar value of US goods, matching Washington's duties dollar-for-dollar. Ottawa also announced support measures for affected businesses and workers.
The escalating trade dispute marks a sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries, with both sides now imposing significant duties on each other's products.