Carney calls 1st official call with Trump 'cordial' and 'positive,' but tariffs still expected next week
2 countries agree to start discussions on new economic, security relationship post election
Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump respected Canada's sovereignty when the two leaders spoke on the phone Friday, marking a shift in the relationship — at least for now.
"Perhaps there was a different impression before about how strong Canada really is," he said during a news conference in Montreal.
Carney, who was sworn in as prime minister nine days before triggering an election, said the call was "cordial" and "positive." While the men's paths had crossed before, it was the first time they spoke as leaders of the neighbouring countries.
Earlier in the day, Trump described his conversation with Carney as "very productive."
"I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
That one line is notable in its own right given Trump repeatedly called former prime minister Justin Trudeau governor as part of his annexation taunts.
"We agree on many things and will be meeting immediately after Canada's upcoming election to work on elements of politics, business and other factors that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada," Trump wrote.
The U.S. president's statement suggests he thinks that Carney will still be prime minister after Canadians cast their ballots April 28.
Speaking in the Oval office later in the day, Trump called Carney by his first name and described their conversation in glowing terms.
"We had a very good conversation," Trump said. "Mark called me today at 10 a.m. … we had a very, very good talk. He's going through an election now and we'll see what happens."
Carney previously said he'd be open to a conversation if the president, who has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st state, respects Canada's sovereignty.
Asked if he trusted Trump's positive review of the call or whether it was a negotiation tactic, Carney said "there's always a strategy in a negotiation."
Trump's response was remarkable by how normal its tone was. However, the president is notoriously unpredictable and results-driven, meaning what he says and what he eventually does can be very different.
Trump also celebrated a "very productive meeting" with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago last year — then, days later, he began mocking the former prime minister.
There's also no suggestion Canada won't face tariffs next week, on top of the duties already in place on steel and aluminum products.
"The short answer is the president did not indicate a pulling back on the tariffs of auto, steel or aluminum during the call," Carney said Friday.
On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order that will bring in a 25 per cent tariff on finished vehicles imported into the United States beginning next week.
Trump said Friday that he still intends to levy tariffs on his trading partners April 2, but hinted Canada may not be hit as hard as other countries.
"I'm not referring to Canada, but many countries have taken advantage of us … that has to stop," Trump said. "We are going to end up with a very good relationship with Canada and some of the other countries.
"We had a very good talk, the prime minister and myself, and I think things are going to work out very well between Canada and the United States."
Carney pitches new relationship to Trump
The prime minister said he and Trump agreed to sit down and negotiate a comprehensive "new" economic and security relationship between the two countries should Carney win next month's federal election.
"I made it clear that I will be working very hard over the next month to earn the right to represent Canada in those discussions," he said.
In the interim he said cabinet members will continue to stay in touch with their U.S. counterparts, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Shifting to campaign mode, the Liberal leader pushed on the need for Canada to "reimagine our economy" and become less dependent on the U.S. as a trading partner.
"We must ensure that Canada can succeed in a drastically different world," he said.
Asked about Trump's language shift after the call with Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he hopes there is a change in tone coming out of the White House.
"We want to put an end to this crazy, tariff chaos," he told reporters in Nanaimo, B.C.
Poilievre said the Liberals have made Canada too dependent on the U.S., and reiterated his promise to unleash the country's natural resources.
"It's clear that the president would like to keep the Liberals in power," he said. "They've been very good for his agenda. He wants to take our money and our jobs and Liberals have helped him do it."
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet responded to news of the call in a social media post, saying he's glad the conversation was productive but he wants more details on what was discussed.
"I would like to know what was said about supply management, softwood lumber, culture and aluminum — key sectors of Quebec's economy," he said in French.
"What about the tariff threats of April 2? Will they be postponed until May or later?" he added.
During his Friday news conference, Carney said he will never discuss supply management with the U.S.
"It's off the table," he said.
After a housing announcement in Toronto on Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party is failing to punch through with voters according to the polls, was asked how Trump has shifted the campaign.
"I think this campaign is really different," he said. "I think it's really put a lot of pressure on Canadians in a way that we haven't seen in a long time."
With files from Alex Panetta and Louis Blouin