By Lucretia Hughes
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country is “at war” with the United States after trade negotiations collapsed and President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian products.
“Because we were attacked,” Carney said when asked why Canada was responding with additional tariffs. “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked.”
Let us be clear: Canada was not attacked militarily. No American troops crossed its border. No bombs fell on Toronto, and no tanks rolled into Ottawa.
This is a trade dispute between two neighboring countries whose economies have been connected for generations.
But Carney has chosen the language of war.
The new American tariffs cover approximately $20 billion in Canadian exports — roughly $28 billion in Canadian currency — and apply to products including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing equipment and hockey gear.
The latest duties do not provide the exemptions that previously protected many Canadian products under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Canada plans to respond “dollar for dollar” with tariffs on American steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, paper products and electronics beginning Sept. 8.
That means businesses and consumers on both sides of the border could soon pay the price for decisions made in Washington and Ottawa.
Carney said the Trump administration introduced last-minute demands that Canada considered unfair and economically unacceptable. He claimed the American proposal would have undermined Canada’s ability to negotiate future trade agreements and threatened Canadian interests involving automobiles, culture and language.
“We cannot accept what they have offered, and we will not give what they have asked,” Carney said.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer offered a different account, accusing Canada of walking away from an opportunity to secure a favorable agreement.
Greer said Canada has historically received one of America’s best trade arrangements and warned that Washington would respond to Canadian retaliation. No new negotiations were immediately scheduled following the breakdown.
Trump said Canada has benefited from access to the American market without providing fair treatment in return.
“No more,” the president wrote as the dispute escalated.
There is plenty of political theater on both sides, but underneath the rhetoric is a serious economic struggle.
Nearly 70% of Canada’s exports are sold to the United States. That dependency gives Washington considerable leverage, but it also means American companies, manufacturers and consumers can be hurt when deeply integrated supply chains are disrupted.
Parts can cross the northern border several times before a finished vehicle reaches a dealership. Farmers depend on equipment and markets from both countries. American builders purchase Canadian lumber, while Canadian businesses rely heavily on American customers.
A tariff may be charged at the border, but the cost does not remain there. It can be passed along through higher prices, delayed production, lost contracts and fewer jobs.
The dispute is especially dangerous for industries in border states such as Michigan and Maine and for Canadian provinces heavily dependent on manufacturing and trade.
Businesses do not have the luxury of treating trade disputes like political campaign rallies. They must determine whether they can afford raw materials, pay their workers and keep their doors open.
Canada’s Chamber of Commerce warned that some industries could face serious damage, business closures and job losses. Canadian officials said financial assistance for affected sectors could be required for years.
Carney’s war language may help him politically at home. Standing up to Trump has become part of his public identity, and Canadian voters have shown little appetite for concessions to Washington.
Even Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the new American tariffs and called on Canadians to unite against what he described as unfair attacks on the country’s workers and businesses.
But declaring that Canada was “attacked” does not answer the central question: Were the terms of the existing trade relationship fair to American workers?
Trump has consistently argued that previous American leaders allowed foreign countries — including allies — to take advantage of the United States through tariffs, regulations and market restrictions.
Canada has long maintained strong protections for politically sensitive industries, particularly dairy. Its supply-management system uses production controls and steep tariffs on imports exceeding established quotas.
Trump sees tariffs as leverage to open foreign markets, encourage domestic production and force governments back to the negotiating table.
Carney sees them as an attack on Canadian sovereignty.
Both countries can defend their interests. That is what national leaders are elected to do. But neither government should pretend that ordinary families will escape the consequences if this fight continues.
Americans are already watching grocery bills, housing costs and household budgets. Canadians face many of the same pressures.
A prolonged tariff battle could make those problems worse.
Trump should insist on fair and reciprocal trade. The United States should not continue accepting one-sided arrangements simply because challenging them makes another government uncomfortable.
But Canada is not Iran, China or an enemy of the United States. It is America’s neighbor, a NATO ally and one of its largest trading partners.
Carney should remember that before describing a tariff dispute as an attack and telling his people they are “at war” with America.
Words matter — especially when spoken by the leader of a country.
This is a trade war, not a shooting war. It should be negotiated with strength, facts and an understanding that both nations have workers and families depending on a solution.
Trump is fighting for an America First trade agreement.
Carney says he is fighting for Canada.
Now both leaders must prove they can defend their countries without forcing their citizens to finance an endless political standoff.
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