America 'not at war' with Canada, insists U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

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Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-31 18:00:16.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Finance, Defence]

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed claims of a trade war with Canada during an interview with CNBC, criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney for walking away from a trade deal and imposing 50 percent retaliatory tariffs on roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian exports. The U.S. previously imposed these tariffs after trade negotiations collapsed due to disputes over auto industry terms, restrictions on foreign trade deals, and protections for French-language media and bilingual product labelling. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is scheduled to meet with Bessent and G20 counterparts in Asheville, North Carolina, while provincial leaders including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have voiced concerns that the ongoing tariff escalations will harm small businesses and regional economies.

‘We’re not at war with Canada,’ U.S. treasury secretary says

This article is new today!

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-31 16:16:06.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Defence]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the United States is not at war with Canada amidst escalating cross-border trade negotiations and tariff disputes involving Prime Minister Mark Carney. Recent polling indicates strong Canadian public support for walking away from U.S. trade talks and implementing retaliatory trade measures. The remarks follow stalled trade discussions and subsequent friction over economic policies between the Trump administration and Canadian federal officials.

Canada has leverage in this trade fight, but economists warn it comes with a cost

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-30 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Energy, Resources, Defence]

In response to the Trump administration imposing 50 per cent tariffs on approximately $27 billion worth of Canadian goods, Canadian federal officials and economists are weighing various economic levers, including export taxes and quotas on energy and potash, where Canadian commodities account for 63 per cent of U.S. oil imports and 80 per cent of potash imports. Additional retaliatory options discussed include restricting American access, altering defense procurement such as the F-35 fighter jet program, divesting from U.S. treasury bonds held by Canadian entities valued at $459.6 billion USD, and implementing non-tariff measures like the Digital Services Tax. While Prime Minister Mark Carney and industry minister Mélanie Joly have enacted $28 billion in retaliatory tariffs and paused negotiations over trade disputes, economists warn that aggressive retaliatory measures could inflict greater short- and long-term economic damage on Canada than on the United States.

Strong support for Canada axing U.S. trade talks, retaliatory tariffs: poll

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-29 08:00:46.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy]

An Ipsos poll conducted for Global News indicates that the Liberal government retains broad public backing for its handling of cross-border trade negotiations, including support for axing U.S. trade talks and implementing retaliatory tariffs. The survey data reveals that while overall support remains resilient, backing for the government's current trade strategy dips notably among younger voters. The findings reflect ongoing public sentiment regarding Canada-U.S. economic relations and trade policy friction.

In Ohio, Canada-U.S. trade war sparks anger and uncertainty

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-29 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry]

President Donald Trump's administration has imposed new 50 per cent tariffs on dozens of Canadian goods under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act, prompting retaliatory Canadian counter-tariffs scheduled for September 8, 2026. The trade dispute is directly affecting regional economies such as Youngstown, Ohio's congressional district OH-6, which exports over $820 million US in goods to Canada annually. Local manufacturers and businesses, including Shapes Unlimited and companies represented by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, report disrupted supply chains, inflated costs for materials like aluminum and steel, and stalled capital projects due to the cross-border tariffs.

As insults fly around trade, negotiators for Canada and the U.S. avoid getting personal in public

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-29 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry]

Trade negotiations between Canada and the United States collapsed on August 21 following the implementation of sweeping cross-border tariffs on tens of billions of dollars worth of goods. While political leaders from both countries—including U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian officials—have engaged in public escalations and personal insults, Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have maintained a professional, non-personal dialogue. Negotiations remain stalled as Canada insists it will not rush back to Washington without a viable deal, and retaliatory economic measures are being weighed.

What went wrong with U.S. trade talks, according to Canada's chief negotiator

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 21:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry, Culture, Governance]

Canada's chief U.S. trade negotiator Janice Charette disputed claims made by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding the collapse of bilateral trade talks. Charette maintained that Canada consistently raised concerns regarding medium- and heavy-duty trucks—such as Ford's F-series pickups and General Motors' Silverado—throughout the week rather than introducing them as a last-minute tactic to kill the deal. Furthermore, Charette confirmed that U.S. negotiators repeatedly pushed to remove Canadian French-language discoverability rules on streaming platforms like Netflix and sought to restrict Canada's sovereignty in establishing future free trade agreements with third-party nations. In response to the breakdown in negotiations and U.S. President Donald Trump's implementation of 50 per cent tariffs, the federal government announced retaliatory tariffs matching $27.6 billion on comparable U.S. goods and rolled out a $7.5 billion support package for affected Canadian workers and businesses.

Can Canada supply itself? Trade war forces businesses to find out

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 20:59:34.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry]

In response to ongoing cross-border trade actions and U.S. tariffs implemented under President Donald Trump, Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises are shifting their supply chains and manufacturing back to domestic operations. Montreal-based home and body care company The Unscented Company is moving production from a Vermont facility to Canada, estimating current tariffs would cost the firm $150,000 by the end of 2026. Additionally, Chapman's Ice Cream announced it is on track to convert more than 70 per cent of its ingredients from the U.S. back to Canada or alternative international sources while holding consumer price increases until March 2028. Supply chain experts at McGill University note that while onshoring enhances economic resilience, historical integration under trade frameworks like NAFTA and CUSMA means domesticating complex manufacturing scales will require strategic, long-term investments.

Minister’s statement about Committee on Internal Trade meeting

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-28 15:38:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Trade, Labour, Economy, Governance]

Federal, provincial, and territorial trade ministers met on August 27, 2026, to ratify amendments to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement establishing a 30-day service standard for labour mobility applications. Ministers committed to signing an agreement by the end of 2026 for the free trade of services and accelerated work on model mutual-recognition legislation by fall 2026. British Columbia previously advanced this domestic trade agenda by passing the Trade Recognition Act (Bill 5) in February 2026, signing a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement targeting implementation by February 2027, and collaborating on the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods in November 2025.

Canada adds more U.S. goods to list of planned counter-tariffs

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 15:35:30.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Finance, Industry]

Finance Canada announced adjustments to its planned counter-tariffs targeting U.S. goods, following feedback from Canadian industry stakeholders. The retaliatory measures, matching U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar and rate for rate up to 50 per cent, now encompass over 700 American goods valued at $27.6 billion, with the countermeasures set to take effect on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Specific additions subject to the 50 per cent tariff rate include wood charcoal, American copper wire, printed materials, articles of plaster, and various glass containers such as carboys, bottles, jars, and preserving jars. Meanwhile, American seafood and fish products were removed from the initial tariff list following consultations deemed to be in Canada's best interests.

Newfoundland and Labrador Supports Accelerated Action to Strengthen Internal Trade Across Canada

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-08-28 14:50:15.0
Tags: [National, Newfoundland and Labrador, Trade, Labour, Economy, Agriculture]

Federal, provincial, and territorial ministers meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, agreed to accelerate efforts to reach an agreement in principle by fall 2026 on model mutual recognition legislation to create a common Canadian market and support labour mobility. Ministers ratified amendments to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement establishing a 30-day service standard for labour mobility applications and committed to expanding the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement to services by December 2026. Additionally, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency introduced concierge services and targeted exemptions under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations to allow provincial red meat slaughter facilities to trade low volumes interprovincially. Nine premiers also signed an operating agreement in July 2026 regarding direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages.

Interprovincial trade barriers are falling. But rewriting old rules will take time

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 14:14:49.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Trade, Economy, Industry]

Federal and provincial ministers met in Iqaluit and Prince Edward Island to advance interprovincial trade agreements, building on a recent nine-province accord allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across provincial lines. International Monetary Fund estimates indicate that removing internal trade barriers could increase Canada's real grossD product by up to seven per cent, or approximately $210 billion, over the long term. Priorities for ongoing discussions include securing a freer flow of services by the end of the year, harmonizing approval processes for prefabricated homes and building materials, and facilitating food trade. Meanwhile, University of Ottawa professor Wolfgang Alschner is utilizing artificial intelligence to catalogue approximately 17,000 regulatory texts across Canada to systematically identify and eliminate unnecessary trade divergences.

Saskatchewan Responds to United States Trade Measures with Levy on American Alcohol

Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-08-27 21:30:00.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, Trade, Economy, Taxation, Industry]

In response to a 50 per cent tariff enacted by the United States on Canadian alcohol on August 22, 2026, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a reciprocal 50 per cent levy on U.S.-origin alcohol imported into the province. Effective September 8, 2026, the levy will apply to all U.S. produced alcohol ordered through the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority online ordering system. Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Jim Reiter stated that the measure aims to defend provincial industries and exporters while encouraging a return to tariff-free trade.

Will auto tariffs be a permanent roadblock for a Canada-U.S. trade deal?

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 21:22:28.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Quebec, Trade, Industry, Economy]

Canada-U.S. trade negotiations broke down following disputes over American tariffs on finished vehicles and auto parts, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirming that the Trump administration aims to re-industrialize and shift auto manufacturing jobs to states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Canadian officials, including Ambassador to the U.S. Mark Wiseman and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, maintain that preserving assembly and parts capabilities in Ontario and Quebec is critical, specifically protecting plants operated by Ford and General Motors employing roughly 20,000 workers. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles and non-CUSMA-compliant auto parts in the new year as trade talks remain stalled.

Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America'

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 17:35:10.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Trade, Economy, Governance]

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amidst escalating trade tensions and failed trade negotiations between Canada and the United States. Prime Minister Mark Carney and provincial leaders rejected the move, stating the lake will remain Lake Ontario while the federal government prepares retaliatory measures set to take effect on September 8, 2026. The body of water's name is more than 400 years old, derived from the Huron Indigenous word "oniatarí:io," and predates both Canada and the United States.

Conservatives want the Liberals to release the rejected U.S. trade deal. Should they?

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 15:10:27.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Finance, Governance]

Following the collapse of trade negotiations that led the United States to impose 50 per cent tariffs on hundreds of Canadian imports, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet called on Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government to release the rejected draft text of the trade agreement. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne defended the government's approach by noting that key details had been publicly reported and that the negotiations were extensively advertised. Meanwhile, trade and policy experts offered contrasting views, with Lawrence Herman of the C.D. Howe Institute arguing that releasing the text would compromise future negotiation positions, while Carlo Dade of the University of Calgary contended that transparency is necessary to preserve national unity against potential U.S. divide-and-conquer tactics under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act.

Canadian seafood industry 'relieved' with removal of their products from retaliatory tariff list

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 13:22:04.0
Tags: [National, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Trade, Economy, Fisheries]

Finance Canada removed fish and seafood products, including lobster and crab, from its retaliatory tariff list just a day after initially imposing counter-measures on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. goods. The initial list would have subjected U.S. seafood imports to a 25 per cent tariff, which industry groups like the Lobster Processors Association and the New Brunswick Crab Processors Association warned would devastate integrated cross-border processing operations. To maintain a dollar-for-dollar and rate-for-rate response, the Ministry of Finance added copper wire, charcoal, plaster sheets, and tiles to the tariff list at a 50 per cent rate, taking effect on September 8.

LeBlanc welcomes U.S. decision 'withdrawing positions' on language, culture

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 13:05:31.0
Tags: [National, Quebec, Trade, Culture, Economy]

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated that the federal government welcomes the United States withdrawing its positions on French language and culture after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer clarified that Canadian streaming laws and bilingual labeling requirements are not a "red line" for the American side. The diplomatic shift follows the collapse of trade negotiations triggered by U.S. tariff actions impacting approximately $27 billion worth of Canadian goods, alongside Canada's announcement of dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on more than 700 U.S. imports set for September 8. Despite the modified U.S. stance on language and culture, both nations noted that formal trade talks remain stalled with no open channels currently active to resume negotiations.

Canada’s retaliation ‘should come as no surprise’ to U.S., Champagne says

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 13:03:16.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry]

Finance Canada announced that it is adjusting its proposed list of retaliatory counter-tariffs against the United States following direct feedback from Canadian industries. Federal Minister François-Philippe Champagne defended the planned trade retaliation, stating it should come as no surprise to the U.S. administration following the breakdown of bilateral trade negotiations.

Read the full transcript of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's interview with CBC News

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 03:10:00.0
Tags: [National, Trade, Economy, Industry]

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated in an interview with CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton that recent bilateral trade talks between the United States and Canada collapsed after Canadian officials returned from Ottawa with additional requests regarding U.S. Section 232 measures, automotive manufacturing exclusions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and trade defense alignments. Greer confirmed that there are currently no open channels of communication or formal talks to resume negotiations. The Trump administration defended its industrial policy goals aimed at countering globalization and protecting domestic manufacturing sectors in states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.