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Prime Minister Mark Carney, after a meeting with Canada’s political leaders, downplayed the chances of success in talks aimed at reaching a trade deal with President Trump.
By Ian Austen
Reporting from the meeting of Canada’s premiers in Huntsville, Ontario
Published July 22, 2025Updated July 23, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET
With less than a week left for Canada to reach a trade deal with President Trump or face additional tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday downplayed the possibility of a breakthrough and suggested that Canada might walk away empty handed.
Mr. Carney spoke after an emergency meeting of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories that he convened in response to Mr. Trump’s threat to impose 35 percent tariffs on Canadian exports starting on Aug. 1.
Asked about the likelihood of reaching a pact by that deadline, Mr. Carney said that “we’ll agree to a deal if there’s one on the table that is in the best interest of Canadians,” but then later added in French that “it’s not our objective to have an agreement at any cost.”
Mr. Carney said that Dominic LeBlanc, the cabinet minister who has been the government’s chief go-between with the Trump administration and other Canadian officials, will be in Washington for the remainder of the week.
“They’re complex negotiations and we will use all the time that’s necessary,” Mr. Carney said as he left a resort that hosted the meeting.
Mr. Carney had been optimistic that he could strike an accord that would eliminate tariffs Mr. Trump imposed this year, including 50 percent levies on steel and aluminum, and 25 percent tariffs on the value of autos excluding American-made parts.
