PM Carney says he and Trump have talked ‘in the last few days’

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he has spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump “a couple of times” in recent days as the trade war between the two countries continues to escalate.

At a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Carney said he speaks to Trump regularly.

“We continue to work with the United States. We can compartmentalize across this,” Carney said in response to a question about Canada’s role in pursuing peace in Ukraine.

The prime minister said part of the leaders’ responsibilities is to work together to resolve global issues like the war in Ukraine. Carney said he and Trump also spoke about the war in Iran and “other global developments.”

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the two leaders have spoken in the last few days but would not provide any details about when exactly the conversation took place, including whether it was before or after the latest escalation in trade actions.

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs, of 15 to 50 per cent, on dozens of American imports took effect on Tuesday. That was followed almost 24 hours later by Trump signing new orders to ban imports of some products, including most alcohol, and increase tariffs on some others.

All of that came after an impasse in trade talks in August, which led to Trump imposing 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion in Canadian goods, ranging from honey and sunscreen to sports equipment and milk.

The two sides have blamed each other for the trade hostilities, with Canada accusing the U.S. of trying to impose last-minute demands that would have restricted Canada’s protections for language and culture and its ability to negotiate trade deals with other countries.

Carney said Thursday any deal with the U.S. must not undermine Canada’s sovereignty or its ability to protect and promote official languages and Canadian culture.

“Canada is always ready to strike a fair deal,” he said. “We believe there’s a mutually beneficial deal for Canada and the United States and our team, myself, are ready.”

Canadian politicians are pushing back on Trump’s executive orders limiting Canadian businesses’ access to procurement contracts and deploying a new set of tariffs.

The five new orders, which will take effect Sept. 29, will completely bar imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles, some dairy products and alcoholic beverages.

They also remove some items from the tariff list completely, such as toilet paper and cement, while adding new products to be tariffed, including additional dairy products.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that businesses affected by tariffs and bans will be eligible for the province’s support programs.

In a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Ford said Ontario will expand eligibility for its tariff support programs to the affected industries so they can keep the lights on.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has ordered the province’s public sector to stop buying American products when Canadian substitutes are available. She said the move is a response to the latest round of U.S. tariffs.

Holt said her government is also looking to see if it has the authority to prevent Americans from obtaining fishing and hunting licences, as well as mining claims.

Her government will also ban the purchase of U.S. goods and services for contracts valued at more than $5 million starting Oct. 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2026.