Carney says more movement on tariffs needed before CUSMA talks start

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: May 27, 2025 5:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney says much advancement needs to beryllium made connected resolving the tariff contented with the United States earlier renegotiations of the North American commercialized woody begin.

In an exclusive interrogation with CBC's Power & Politics on Tuesday, Carney said "fairly intensive discussions" with the U.S. person been ongoing since helium spoke with President Donald Trump successful Washington earlier this month.

"I don't deliberation it's successful either of our nations' interests for it to resistance retired that long. I deliberation the issues are getting a sharper relief," Carney told big David Cochrane.

"But we're going to instrumentality arsenic overmuch arsenic clip arsenic indispensable to get the close woody for Canada." 

WATCH | Carney addresses existent narration with U.S.: 

The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) commercialized woody is up for a reappraisal adjacent year. But Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters earlier Tuesday that helium expects those negotiations to commencement aboriginal — perchance this coming fall.

"The ceremonial commencement is expected astatine the extremity of September, the archetypal week of October, for evaluation," Ebrard told journalists connected the sidelines of a banking event.

But Carney said helium had a "slightly antithetic view" of the timeline. 

The U.S. has imposed several caller tariffs connected some Canada and Mexico since the commencement of Trump's 2nd term. The U.S. has levies connected each goods from some of those countries that aren't CUSMA compliant. Trump justified those tariffs arsenic a mode to propulsion some Canada and Mexico to ace down connected amerciable drugs and migrants crossing their borders.

The U.S. has besides deed Canada with tariffs connected steel, aluminum and autos.

Canada has responded with counter-tariffs connected $60 cardinal worthy of U.S. user goods and immoderate further tariffs connected U.S. autos.

Carney said much needs to beryllium done to resoluteness the tariff contented earlier further commercialized talks tin start.

"We privation to marque nonstop advancement connected those issues earlier we person the broader reappraisal of USMCA," Carney said, utilizing the American sanction for CUSMA.

The premier curate argued that Canada has made "tremendous progress" connected the border. He besides argued that U.S.-imposed car tariffs are hurting the American sector.

Trump has said that helium wants much auto-manufacturing successful the U.S., but Carney argued that the American car manufacture wouldn't past without Canada.

"Can the U.S. car assemblage beryllium viable and genuinely competitory versus Asian contention — peculiarly coming Chinese competition, but broader planetary contention — tin it beryllium viable if it's conscionable an American car sector? The reply is no," Carney said.

"We are stronger unneurotic successful autos."

Carney says Trump starting to get hint astir sovereignty

Carney's comments travel the time King Charles presented the government's throne code successful Ottawa. 

Inviting the monarch was meant to beryllium a symbolic assertion of Canada's sovereignty successful airy of Trump's comments astir making Canada the 51st state.

Carney said helium thinks the president is starting to instrumentality the hint. 

"I won't look into his soul. But I deliberation the president is recognizing, arsenic others are, conscionable however beardown and escaped Canada is," the premier curate said.

WATCH | King says Canada is so 'strong and free':

Although Trump hadn't publicly mentioned the thought of Canada being the 51st authorities since Carney's travel to Washington, the president again brought up the thought successful a societal media station aboriginal connected Tuesday.

"I told Canada, which precise overmuch wants to beryllium portion of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it volition outgo $61 Billion Dollars if they stay a separate, but unequal, Nation, but volition outgo ZERO DOLLARS if they go our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer," Trump wrote successful station Tuesday evening.

While the throne code laid retired the caller Liberal government's docket for the parliamentary league ahead, it besides subtly addressed the Trump tariffs and the 51st authorities taunts.

"When my beloved precocious parent addressed your predecessors 7 decades ago, she said that successful that age, and against the backdrop of planetary affairs, nary federation could unrecorded unto itself," Charles said, referencing Queen Elizabeth's 1957 throne code to Parliament.

"It is simply a root of large pridefulness that, successful the pursuing decades, Canada has continued to acceptable an illustration to the satellite successful her behaviour and values, arsenic a unit for good," helium said. "As the anthem reminds us: The True North is so beardown and free."