Canadian – (Special Corrrespondent / Web Desk) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Saturday that he apologised to US President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff commercial starring former US President Ronald Reagan and had advised Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to air it.
Trump proposed a 10% increase in tariffs on Canadian imports and called off all trade talks in response to what he called a “fake” anti-tariff ad campaign.
“I apologised to the President. “The president was offended,” Carney told reporters in Gyeongju, South Korea, adding that trade discussions would resume when the United States is “ready.”
Carney also acknowledged that he examined the ad with Ford before it aired, although he was opposed to using it.
“I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad,” he said.
The ad, commissioned by Ford, an outspoken Conservative politician who is sometimes compared to Trump, uses a snippet of Republican icon and former president Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster.
Carney also called talks with China’s leader Xi Jinping a “turning point” in relations, adding he had raised tricky topics like foreign interference with Beijing.
Canada’s relations with China have been among the worst of any Western nation but both are at the sharp end of Trump’s tariff onslaught, even after Xi and the US leader’s deal on Thursday to dial back tensions.
China and Canada on Friday held their first formal talks between their leaders since 2017.
Pakistan and Afghan Taliban agree to extend their ceasefire.
“We have now unlocked a path forward to address current issues,” Carney told journalists in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, referring to China.
“Our overall discussion was constructive,” he added.
Carney said on Saturday he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit “in the new year”.
“I directed our ministers and officials to work together to find solutions to current challenges and to identify areas for cooperation and growth,” he said.
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