Carney says ‘no’ to making more concessions to get to U.S. trade talks – National

READ MORE: Canada ‘doubling down on globalization’ at odds with U.S. trade goal: Greer

Canada would not make any more trade concessions to get to the table with the U.S. on trade talks, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.

While heading into a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney was asked by reporters: “would Canada make any more concessions to get to the table with the U.S.?”

Carney said, “No.”

This came as CBC News reported that the Trump administration is demanding what amounts to an “entry fee” – or a series of concessions – from Canada to engage in trade talks toward a revised Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA).

“We understand what some of the – what the Americans would call trade irritants or trade issues – are. We have some on our side as well. We’re well prepared around those issues,” Carney said when asked if the U.S. had asked for any concessions before the talks even began.

Both sides “will sit down and work through those issues,” Carney said.

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“We’ve made some counter proposals, which they’re aware (of). And the time will come to really roll up our sleeves,” he added.

The U.S. cannot dictate terms in a negotiation, Carney said.

“It’s not the case that the United States dictates the terms. We have a negotiation. We can come to a mutually successful outcome. It will take some time,” he said.

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Canada’s chief trade negotiator says they’re pro-actively engaged with U.S., Mexico ahead of USMCA review

CUSMA, which governs the terms of free trade between those three countries, is up for a review before July 1 this year.

On Tuesday, Carney announced the formation of an advisory council on Canada-U.S. economic relations, which includes top industry voices from tariff-hit sectors as well as multiple prominent Conservative MPs.

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said it’s unlikely the U.S. will resolve all its trade issues with Canada and Mexico before the July 1 deadline to renegotiate CUSMA.

Greer also told Fox Business in mid-March that Canada was behind Mexico on trade discussions.

The council is set to hold their first meeting on April 27, 2026.

On Wednesday, Greer told the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee that there are “load-bearing pillars” in CUSMA that are working well but added a renegotiation is necessary in order to address U.S. concerns.

“I don’t think we want to rubber-stamp it,” he said.

He also accused Canada of “doubling down on globalization” by diversifying its trading relationships in response to U.S. tariffs and policy demands, which he suggested was at odds with the Trump administration’s trade priorities.

“They’re doubling down on globalization when we’re trying to correct for the problems of globalization. So those are two models that don’t fit together very well.”

—With files from Global’s Sean Boynton

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