Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods won’t take effect until next month, leaving what journalist Nina Devries calls a window for renewed negotiations in the escalating trade war.
Canada will impose "dollar-for-dollar" tariffs on about 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American goods from Sept. 8 in retaliation for latest duties from the U.S., Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday.
The 50-percent U.S. tariffs, covering an equivalent value of Canadian goods, took effect just after midnight Saturday following the collapse of trade talks on Friday, further straining relations between the longtime allies.
"Very much likely a negotiation tactic because he could have put the measures into place immediately. He didn't. He has left some breathing room. There's a window of opportunity here. So yes, experts are saying that this is likely a negotiation tactic. Now, according to a CBC report, our trade minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer are actually still in contact. I don't know the in depth of how much and how much they're discussing, but apparently they are still in contact. So that's also a sign that maybe talks will resume," Devries said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Carney said he suspended the talks because the U.S. introduced last-minute changes that were "unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal," even though the two sides had appeared close to a mutually beneficial agreement earlier in the week.
According to Carney, the U.S. proposals restricted Canada's ability to pursue trade arrangements with other countries, and undermined its protections for the French language, culture and national sovereignty. He did not disclose the details of those demands.
As for how Canadians are reacting to this unfolding trade war, Devries said the country has rallied together with a united stance.
"Well, you know, even before these talks were happening and these new tariffs were coming into play, even last year, there was already a very much of a sense of Canadian unity for the most part. For the most part, you heard the terms 'Elbows Up' and 'Canada Strong'. Canadians have stopped traveling to the U.S. They've stopped going there for holidays. They've been going to other places in Canada or somewhere else in the world. Even in the grocery stores, now in the grocery stores, they actually will put under each product whether or not it's Canadian. Canadians are looking at that when they're shopping and saying, 'oh, okay this is made in Canada. I'm going to buy this,' instead of a U.S. product. So that's been already happening. And that's going to be happening further. So I think, yes, there's a lot of things that Canadians can do and want to do in order to support their own country," she said.
Canadians unite in tariff fight as Carney leaves door open for talks with US: journalist
