OTTAWA — As U.S. officials accuse Canada of interfering in American elections, Prime Minister Mark Carney says he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday morning, and added when asked specifically that they discussed “issues around trade.”
With the highly consequential U.S. midterm elections fast approaching and amid a protracted trade war between the two countries, Canada has yet to reach a new trade deal with the Americans.
“We discussed a wide range of things, wide range of issues, the situation in Iran,” Carney said.
“We talked a few days ago about Ukraine and those aspects there,” he added. “We talked about other aspects in the Middle East, and we did address some of the issues around trade.”
Carney made the remarks while taking questions from reporters on Parliament Hill Wednesday alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The two announced $9 billion in support for sectors affected by the trade war.
U.S. officials, meanwhile, released a fact sheet on Wednesday saying the government is monitoring Canadian activities in American politics. The sheet points to documents and appearances by Canadian officials — such as Industry Minister Melanie Joly, who is listed five four times — and claiming them as examples of interference.
Some of the examples include Joly saying Canada was targeting products that would most impact Republican states with its counter-tariffs, and the contentious Ontario anti-tariff ad campaign that cited former U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra issued a similar warning in a recent interview with “The Really Big Show” podcast, in which he warned Canadian politicians to stay out of American politics and said U.S. officials are monitoring potential “political interference in the U.S. midterms.”
The accusation comes just weeks after concerns in Canada about U.S. interference in Alberta’s referendum on Monday, which included a question on independence.
So-called separatist leader Jeffrey Rath said in an interview on CTV Question Period several months ago that he met with U.S. State Department officials.
And, earlier this month, the Globe and Mail published a sweeping investigation on key separatist leaders’ ties to Republican operatives in the United States.
In response to a question about the fact sheet on Wednesday, Carney said it was the U.S. that “initiated these trade actions.”
“We have responded to those to protect Canadian jobs, protect Canadian companies and to develop our economy,” he added.
Ford also responded to the question on Wednesday, saying: “I have no interest at all interfering in American elections.”
Trade war ongoing
After trade talks broke down in dramatic fashion in August, both countries slapped new tariffs on imports from the other. At the time, Trump and his administration lobbed a series of insults at Canada, posting several AI-generated memes online, and moved to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
Then, in early September, Trump escalated U.S. trade actions against Canada, signing new executive orders to completely ban the import of certain Canadian products, including motorcycles and alcohol.
And, Trump last week said Canada will “end up being the 51st state,” a threat he’s now espoused for nearly two years.
“Canada treats us very badly,” he said during a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Ariz. “They always have. Not anymore. It’s a whole different ball game now that Trump is in town.”
Carney has previously said he speaks regularly with Trump, including in private calls and texts. He reiterated on Wednesday that Canada is “ready to sit down and negotiate” with the U.S. to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal.
